Phillies rumors: Five moves the team should make at the Winter Meetings
By John Town
Add a reliever or two
The Phillies are starting to put together a pretty solid back end of the bullpen. Hector Neris is poised to be the closer next year, while bounce back seasons from Luis Garcia and Adam Morgan make them look like the potential future Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero.
More from That Balls Outta Here
- Phillies rumors: Club targets Seth Lugo for possible bullpen role
- Pirates’ bizarre Vince Velasquez hype video will make Phillies fans laugh
- Acquiring Brandon Marsh gave the Phillies flexibility
- Former Phillies starter Zach Eflin shares heartwarming goodbye message
- Is Rhys Hoskins the future at first base for the Phillies beyond 2023?
Beyond that core three, there are some nice pieces, but nothing that screams long-term confidence. Hoby Milner, Ricardo Pinto, Yacksel Rios, and Victor Arano were all rookies and Edubray Ramos was inconsistent. Pat Neshek was the team’s more reliable reliever (and All-Star) but was traded midseason and is now set to get a sizeable deal in free agency.
While Philadelphia isn’t likely to dive into the to end of the reliever market either, plenty of solid options still exist. Juan Nicasio, who the team had for barely a week after claiming him off waivers before trading him, could definitely return.
They liked him enough to claim him off waivers when the Pirates put him there.
Other pitchers like Brandon Klintzer, Tony Waston, and Tommy Hunter are also options in free agency. Not to mention the plenty of other relievers non-tendered or that will hit waivers as other teams clear room on their 40-man roster as they make moves.