Phillies rumors: Five non-tender candidates to sign in free agency

J.J. Hoover

The Pittsburgh native didn’t have a horrible season coming out of the Diamondbacks bullpen, sporting a 3.92 ERA over 52 relief appearances. He’s bounced between Triple-A and the major league club throughout his career, but his performance in 2015 with an 8-2 record and a 2.94 ERA made him a prime candidate to replace Aroldis Chapman as the Reds closer.

Obviously, those plans didn’t work out for either side when Hoover’s ERA inflated in 2016 to 13.50 in just 18 games. Arizona picked him up in the offseason as a minor league free agent, but shoulder inflammation limited Hoover to 41.1 innings with the Diamondbacks.

Considering the Phillies recent bullpen history having an arm such as Hoover’s for the seventh inning does little harm. He’s proven when healthy to be an established major league reliever, and hopefully another change of scenery helps him continue his career.