Phillies: Five unique bullpen options for 2021
By David Esser
Sean Doolittle
The current Phillies front office regime has shown they have a soft spot when it comes to aging relievers in the past, and another one may be on the market for them to overpay. After the mishaps that were Pat Neshek, Tommy Hunter, and David Robertson, you would think the Phillies would have learned their lesson when it comes to paying for older pitchers.
However, with World Series champion Sean Doolittle set to become available in 2021, they might not be able to help themselves.
For the majority of his eight year career, Doolittle was one of the best relievers/closers in baseball. Playing for both the Oakland Athletics and the Washington Nationals, Doolittle was a crucial part to every bullpen that he was a part of.
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However, after a dominant 2018 season with the Nats where he posted a 1.80 ERA and was selected to the All-Star game, Doolittle began rapidly falling off last year. Dealing with a variety of nagging injuries and just general inability to pitch on short rest, Doolittle had the worst year of his MLB career.
The Nationals opted to pay big money to relievers Daniel Hudson and Will Harris following their championship season, likely signaling the end of Doolittle’s time in Washington DC. While Doolittle is no doubt the least appealing option when it comes to this list, he does provide unique value as a potential bounce-back candidate in 2021.
After an extended offseason this year in which he can rehab and rest, he may be healthy enough to contribute for one final year during the 2021 season.