Phillies could be in mix for reliable reliever Shane Greene

While the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen does not seem to be nearly as bad as it was last season when it posted the worst combined ERA across the past 90 seasons in Major League Baseball, the 2021 group is nothing to write home about, either.

The 2021 Phillies bullpen’s 4.39 ERA ranks as the ninth-worst in baseball, and their five blown saves is tied for the seventh-most.

A free-agent arm who has logged 66 saves in his respective career could help improve both numbers for manager Joe Girardi and pitching coach Caleb Cotham‘s squad — seven-year veteran RHP Shane Greene.

Are the Phillies among the teams interested in reliever Shane Greene?

According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the 32-year-old — who he labels as “the top free agent reliever” — is having “ongoing discussions with multiple teams.” Heyman did not identify which specific teams are interested in the right-hander, but you would have to assume the Phillies would at least take a flier.

Appearing in 28 games last season for the Atlanta Braves, Greene went 1-0 with a 2.60 ERA, 1.120 WHIP, and 21-9 strikeouts-to-walks ratio spanning 27 2/3 innings. Greene went on to appear in six games in the postseason, four of which were opposite the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. Combined, he allowed just one run through six innings, while striking out six of his 24 batters faced.

Greene was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 15th round of the 2009 draft out of Daytona Beach Community College. The Florida native debuted in 2014 under the Girardi-led Yankees, going 5-4 with a 3.78 ERA through 15 appearances (14 being starts). That offseason, Greene was coincidentally traded to the Dave Dombrowski-led Detroit Tigers as part of a three-way deal that sent current Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Yankees.

If all the stars align, Girardi, Dombrowski, Gregorius and Greene could soon all be affiliated with one team — the Phillies. With Archie Bradley still out and Hector Neris appearing to struggle as of late, Greene could be the perfect bullpen addition at the right time.