3 Closer rumors surrounding Phillies now that Hector Neris is an Astro

Who will replace Hector Neris as the Phillies’ closer?

After over a decade in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, Hector Neris is headed to the Houston Astros on a pricey two-year, $17M deal.

The Astros and Phillies open the 2022 season against each other in Houston, so the Phillies will see their former closer again soon. They’ll bring a former Astro with them, as they recently claimed pitcher Kent Emanuel off waivers from Neris’ new team.

The Phillies signed Neris in 2010, and he made his big-league debut in 2014. Over eight seasons, he compiled a 3.42 ERA and 520 strikeouts across 407 2/3 innings.

However, Neris had an extremely up-and-down 2021 season, with his ERA soaring and falling each month. He was a key part of the Phillies bullpen tying the all-time record for blown saves in a single season: 34, as set by the 2004 Colorado Rockies.

Over 74 appearances, Neris posted a 3.63 ERA, closed 29 games, and earned 12 saves. He became the franchise leader in strikeouts by a reliever. However, he also blew seven saves and tied the franchise record for career blown saves by a Phillie, and his total season ERA masks extreme inconsistency.

Here’s the month-by-month breakdown:

April (13 games): 1.54 ERA
May (11 games): 2.38 ERA
June (9 games): 8.22 ERA
July (11 games): 6.94 ERA
August (15 games): 0.61 ERA
September/Oct (15 games): 4.15 ERA

Phillies president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, said earlier this month that the club was hoping to bring Neris back, just not as their closer. They have their eyes on expensive prizes, including Craig Kimbrel, Mychal Givens, and Kenley Jansen.

Let’s take a look at three closers the Phillies have been tied to recently…

The Phillies have been speaking with free-agent reliever Mychal Givens

According to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury, the Phillies have had “substantive” talks with Mychal Givens.

After spending the first seven years of his career with the Orioles, Givens was traded to the Rockies at the 2020 trade deadline. He was excellent before the trade (1.38 ERA over 12 appearances), but struggled after (6.75 ERA over 10 appearances).

Givens rebounded this season, and did well enough that he was once again traded at the deadline. After posting a 2.73 ERA over 31 appearances, the Rockies sent him to the Reds, where repeated history by struggling with his new team. Over 23 appearances, he had an elevated 4.22 ERA.

Overall, Givens is a solid pitcher every year. His lifetime ERA is 3.41 over 360 games. He’s finished 113 games and earned 29 career saves.

However, one thing the Phillies should be cautious about is that Givens, while still getting the job done, has been more hittable. He set new career-highs in both hits and walks per nine in 2021, each by a significant margin. Meanwhile, his strikeouts per nine decreased. Phillies relievers struggled with walks this year, and it almost always came back to bite them.

Proven postseason competitor Kenley Jansen would be a perfect fit for the Phillies

For the last 12 years, Kenley Jansen wore Dodger blue. Now, at 33 years old, he’s a free agent with a career 2.37 ERA over 701 games. He was also a back-to-back-to-back All-Star between 2016-2018, a two-time Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year, and has a World Series ring.

Jansen is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. Over 69 appearances, he posted a 2.22 ERA, closed 52 games, and earned 38 saves. He struck out 86 batters over 69 innings.

As a member of the uber-successful Dodgers, Jansen also comes with an enormous amount of postseason experience. He has a career 2.13 ERA over 57 postseason appearances, 92 strikeouts over 63 1/3 innings, and 19 career saves when it mattered most.

With his experience and skill, it would be incredible to have Jansen in red pinstripes next season. He’d bring competitive energy to a team that is sorely lacking.