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

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.