Drew Storen, Relief Pitcher
The Phillies bullpen was a complete mess last season, this shouldn’t be news to anyone. The team was constantly rotating through young minor league guys, aging vets, and even some of their starters. Due to that, the team went out and acquired a plethora of relievers to have them battle it out in Spring Training.
Drew Storen would be the most notable of those names. Storen saw great success as a reliever/closer with the Nationals through the first six years of his career. His ERA with the team sits in the mid-threes and he even posted a 1.12 ERA with Washington during the 2014 season.
Unfortunately, Storen really hasn’t been the same since the 2016 season, really struggling to put together a complete, solid year. However, with so much uncertainty surrounding the Phillies ‘pen, Storen will likely be looking to battle for a major league job if he comes into spring healthy.
Francisco Liriano, Relief Pitcher
Oh, what do you know, another former Pirate!
Just like McCutchen, Walker, and Harrison, reliever Francisco Liriano joins the Phillies as an ex-member of the Phillies’ Pennsylvania counterpart. Liriano has a long history with the MLB dating all the way back to 2005. Coming up on 36 years of age, there’s obviously reason to pause with concern.
However, Liriano posted a 3.47 ERA through 70 innings last season with the Pirates, stats which are noticeably better than a majority of the current Phillies bullpen options. Despite technically being signed to a minor league deal, many are already calling him a member of the 2020 Phillies’ bullpen.