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Phillies: 10 veteran relievers to target in free agency

By George Stockburger

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 22: Adam Ottavino #0 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning of an MLB game at Chase Field on September 22, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 22: Adam Ottavino #0 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning of an MLB game at Chase Field on September 22, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 16: Joakim Soria #48 of the Milwaukee Brewers delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 16, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 16: Joakim Soria #48 of the Milwaukee Brewers delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 16, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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.

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