The Phillies part ways with another struggling pitcher

Phillies pitcher Enyel De Los Santos has been claimed off waivers

The Phillies season isn’t over yet, but the mass exodus of mediocre pitching is in full swing.

Neftali Feliz was the first to go. Then, they traded Spencer Howard and two low-level pitching prospects to the Texas Rangers for Kyle Gibson, Ian Kennedy, Hans Crouse, and some cash. In August, Chase Anderson was released and also found his way to the Rangers. Most recently, Vince Velasquez has been designated for assignment, and now, Enyel De Los Santos has been claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

De Los Santos was once considered a solid prospect, but has not passed muster at the big-league level and has even struggled in Triple-A. The 25-year-old righty made his debut as a starter on July 10, 2018, going 6 1/3 innings against the Mets. But he has worked primarily from the bullpen; only three of his 63 career big-league games have been starts, and none since 2019.

This season, De Los Santos had a 6.75 ERA across 26 appearances for the Phillies. He closed 10 games but did not earn any saves, though he owns two of the Phillies’ MLB-leading 30 blown saves this year. In 29 innings, he struck out 42 batters, issued 14 walks, and allowed 21 earned runs on 34 hits, including seven home runs.

Why do the Pirates want former Phillies reliever Enyel De Los Santos?

As the third-worst team in baseball, the Pirates ranked third in waiver priority. What does it say about De Los Santos’ future that even the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks passed on him?

Despite the high ERA, De Los Santos has shown promising signs. According to MLB Trade Rumors, he’s actually throwing harder and putting up some career numbers. He has a lower ERA and home-run rate over more than twice as many innings as he did in 2019. In his first two seasons spending time at the big-league level, De Los Santos had a strikeout rate in the low sevens; this year, it’s 13.5.

What does De Los Santos’ departure mean for the Phillies?

Since they were unable to develop him, it’s unclear how much De Los Santos’ departure actually impacts the Phillies. But in terms of the quantity-over-quality game they’ve been playing, they’re now down one more pitcher. Of course, this was their choice.

The Phillies are notorious for struggling to develop pitching, even trading away former top prospect Howard at the deadline for more experienced arms. Maybe Pirates GM Ben Cherington, who got his start as a scout in the 90s, sees something in De Los Santos that the Phils do not.

Meanwhile, the Phillies can look forward to completely rebuilding their bullpen this offseason. At this point, it has to be a top priority.