Phillies: 10 veteran relievers to target in free agency
The Phillies need to add a reliever this offseason, and preferably someone with some experience for the stretch run
Despite signing Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek to two-year deals worth $34.2 million combined the Phillies bullpen came up lame last season. The bullpen allowed 4.49 runs per game, the 12th worst in baseball and fifth-worst in the National League.
The bullpen wasn’t all bad, converting 69% of their saves and only 30% of inherited base runners scored, both the sixth-best in baseball.
There are certainly building blocks for the team to work with going into 2019 and beyond. Seranthony Dominguez and Victor Arano each had a WAR of 2.0 or better and Edubray Ramos had a 2.32 ERA in 52 games.
Luis Avilan is arbitration eligible after the Phillies picked him up from the White Sox during the waiver deadline. We’ll see what happens to Luis Garcis and Yacksel Rios, and hopefully Hector Neris can rebound after a down season.
Despite the success of Dominguez, Ramos, and Arano the Phillies likely need one more veteran in the bullpen. Injuries will unfortunately come about, as seen with Neshek last year.
Here are 10 relievers the Phillies might consider signing this offseason.
Adam Warren
The long-time Yankees pitcher is a free agent for the first time in his career after being traded by the Yankees to the Cubs, then back to the Yankees, then to the Mariners in July.
Warren primarily appeared in the seventh inning this year, but ironically that’s when he struggled the most. The righty’s ERA was 4.50 in 67 plate appearances in the seventh inning, while his ERA was a remarkable 0.66 in 53 eighth inning plate appearances.
This could be a cheap setup man option for the Phillies with Warren coming off a $3.3 million deal with the Yankees and Mariners last year. This might be another deal that looks similar to Tommy Hunter at two-years and $18 million.
Craig Kimbrel
While the Phillies would love to add a big time closer, I don’t think Craig Kimbrel is a realistic option nor is he on the team’s radar. Philadelphia has much bigger needs than a superstar closer who is coming off a World Series win in Boston.
Phillies fans know Kimbrel well after watching him develop in Atlanta for five years. Some think Kimbrel would go back to Atlanta this offseason to help them repeat as National League East champions, while returning to Boston makes all the sense in the world.
The Phillies have paid big time closers when the team was on the cusp of a dynasty, but right now they’re far from being a dynasty. While Kimbrel would be welcomed to Philadelphia with open arms, he’s not what the team needs right now.
David Robertson
It’s hard to see the Yankees not retaining David Robertson, but if they decide to move on the Phillies can certainly be a player for him. While never consistently being an all-star Robertson is the steady middle to late inning reliever Philadelphia needs.
Since 2011 Robertson has never had an ERA above 3.50 and in 2017 he kept it below two for the White Sox and Yankees.
More than 90% of Robertson’s career appearances have come in the seventh inning or later. He’s primarily worked in the eighth inning, potentially giving the Phillies the setup man they need in front of Seranthony Dominguez.
Cody Allen
A year ago if I said Cody Allen was available on the open market he would be one of the best options out there. After five consecutive years with an ERA under 3.00 over 68 innings, Allen had a 4.70 ERA in 70 games for the Indians.
Velocity wasn’t the issue for Allen with his average fastball coming in at just .4 MPH slower in 2018 compared to 2017, according to Statcast. Cleveland.com also notes that Allen’s average velocity was exactly the same in his season debut then it was in his final game in 2018 at 93.9 MPH.
Allen did throw his curveball more and his fastball less, according to FanGraphs, so that might be something to watch.
Allen might be a solid one-year “prove it” option for the Phillies if they want a bon a fide veteran with playoff experience in the back-end of their bullpen.
Kelvin Herrera
The Phillies would have loved to trade for Kelvin Herrera when the Royals and Nationals were dangling him last season.
An All-Star for the Royals who helped lead them to a championship, Herrera was having a fantastic season for the Royals before they traded him to Washington in June. After posting a 1.05 ERA in 27 games for the Royals Herrera struggled in Washington with a 4.34 ERA in 21 games.
Herrera’s SO/IP was at its lowest since 2014 at 7.7, dramatically lower than when he had a 10.8 SO/IP in 2016.
After suffering a torn Lisfranc ligament in his left foot in September Herrera is expected to be ready for spring training.
This might be another “prove it” deal the Phillies could make for one year with a lucrative club option for 2020. Herrera was once among the best late-inning relievers in baseball, but he’s been injured and struggled too much to get a long-term deal.
Zach Britton
It’s well-known that the Phillies have kept close tabs on Zach Britton over the last two seasons. Several members of the Phillies front office once worked for the Orioles, including general manager Matt Klentak and president Andy MacPhail.
Britton has consistently been one of the best relievers in baseball since establishing himself in Baltimore back in 2014. Since that season he has a 1.41 ERA in 283 games, an astounding stat, and he rebounded from a torn achillies last offseason.
After failing to trade for Britton at the trade deadline last year the Phillies are in prime position to add the All-Star reliever. While he isn’t saving 30-40 games like he once was, Britton is still a dominant pitcher whose numbers could only get better should he move to the National League.
Jeurys Familia
The Phillies reportedly looked into trading for Familia at the trade deadline, but were ultimately not among the favorites when the Mets pulled the trigger on a deal with Oakland.
One of the biggest issues with Familia is the off-field and public perceptions following a 15-game suspension for domestic violence allegations while with the Mets. The charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence but that doesn’t help the public perception of a person who has faced heinous charges such as these.
Familia posted decent numbers for the Mets and Athletics last year with a 3.13 ERA in 70 games with 83 strikeouts. His ERA did climb a bit when he went to Oakland, but it makes sense going to the American League where you face full-time designated hitters and not cold pinch-hitters as often.
Familia hasn’t had as stellar of a season since his 51 save campaign with the Mets in 2016 but he’s still one of the best late game relievers in baseball.
Joakim Soria
Old man Joakim Soria checks in as a reliever the Phillies might look into this offseason. Soria has 11 major league seasons under his belt and turns 35 next season.
After four dominant seasons with the Royals to start his career Soria has been nothing more than a decent setup reliever who can pull out a couple saves. After earning two saves from 2016-17 with the Royals, Soria saved 16 for the White Sox last year before being traded to the Brewers.
Milwaukee didn’t use Soria as a closer and he had a 6.17 ERA in his final 14 games of the regular season.
The Phillies have Pat Neshek as an older veteran option in the back of the bullpen but they need depth. Signing Soria to a one-year deal couldn’t hurt a team looking to make a playoff run.
Shawn Kelley
Another former Nationals reliever enters the fray as an option for the Phillies as they continue to build their bullpen. Shawn Kelley has either been a dominant option in the middle of games or as fallen flat. He had back to back solid seasons in 2015-16 with the Padres and Nationals with ERA’s below 2.70 but he flopped in 2017 with a 7.27 ERA.
Washington traded Kelley to the Athletics last year after he was designated for assignment for being “disrespectful to the organization” by showing up manager Dave Martinez.
There haven’t been other documented incidents like this for Kelley, so I feel good about offering a one-year deal. The Phillies need experience in the middle of their bullpen and Kelley brings that as he enters his 11th season. He’s a potential low-risk, high-reward signing for any team.
Adam Ottavino
Adam Ottavino is quietly one of the top relievers on the free agent market this offseason. Matt Klentak showed last offseason that he’s willing to spend big on relievers, giving Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek $34.2 million over two years last year.
Ottavino, a former teammate of Neshek in Colorado, had a 2.43 ERA with 112 strikeouts in 75 games. Despite pitching in Colorado, Ottavino had a fairly even home/away split last year, maintaining a 2.10 ERA at home compared to 2.70 on the road.
He primarily appeared in the eighth inning for the Rockies, doing so 55 times in 70 games. Ottavino has established himself as one of the top set-up men in baseball and a lock-down arm late in ballgames, something the Phillies lacked.
Ottavino turns 33 in November, giving the Phillies another veteran to help a young bullpen maturate. Signing him to a two-year deal similar to Hunter’s at $18 million is not out of the realm of possibility.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Ottavino makes more than that after playing for $7 million last year.
dark. Next. Phillies all-defensive team by position
Also, who doesn’t want a player who wears #0? Ottavino would be only the second player in franchise history to don the number and the first since Al Oliver in 1984.