Apr 9, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Corey Knebel (23) enters the game to pitch the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
After a dismal 10-18 May, they’re 15-3 to start June, closing the gaps in the NL East, but more realistically, the Wild Card race.
They should capitalize on this momentum by trimming the fat and improving the roster, and they shouldn’t wait until the trade deadline to do so.
Here are three players they can unload by the All-Star break:
Corey Knebel
After the bullpen disaster of 2021, the Phillies signed Corey Knebel to be their new closer. Barely two months into the 2022 season, he’s been demoted from the role.
Signing Knebel was a risk from the start. He’d been a great closer with Milwaukee in 2017, leading the NL with 76 appearances, including finishing 48 games and collecting 39 saves. But Tommy John surgery in 2019 kept him on the sidelines until late 2020, and he spent 2021 as a part-time setup man for Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, but only made 27 appearances.
The Phillies gambled on a big comeback year from Knebel, and so far, they’re losing that bet. He has a 3.62 ERA over 28 games, with 23 games finished and 11 saves. 21 of his 28 appearances were scoreless, but the Phillies are 1-6 in games in which he’s allowed a run. He’s blown four saves, and the Phillies have lost all of those games; they’re 18-10 when he pitches. In their quest for a wild card berth, that is unacceptable.
On Sunday, Knebel pitched 1 1/3 innings in the middle of the game and surrendered two earned runs. He issued three walks and didn’t strike out a batter.
It’s not hard to see the Phillies cutting their losses and flipping Knebel to another team before the trade deadline.
Jun 14, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (31) walks off the field after allowing a three run home run during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
Jeurys Familia
It’s hard to see the Phillies parting ways with Corey Knebel and Jeurys Familia, but they certainly can trade one of them.
Familia has a 4.30 ERA over 26 games this season, on pace for his worst marks since 2019. While 19 of his 26 appearances have been scoreless, the Phillies are 12-14 in his games, and he owns two of their blown saves. They’re 3-4 in games in which he allows any runs, and when you look at the NL Wild Card race, those losses are a clear difference-maker.
The Phillies signed Familia to a one-year deal for $6M. They should flip him to another team and call up someone like Mark Appel, who’s been excellent in Triple-A this season.
Odubel Herrera #37 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
Odúbel Herrera
The Phillies really don’t need Odúbel Herrera.
Or rather, they shouldn’t be keeping him around when they could be focused on helping Mickey Moniak find his form again.
Over his first 45 games, Herrera hit .243/.283/.434 with a .717 OPS, five home runs and nine doubles. While his low strikeout numbers are commendable, his minuscule eight walks in 145 plate appearances are unacceptable.
Herrera is striking out at a significantly higher rate than last season, walking less, and not hitting the ball as hard.
The key to sustained success for the Phillies is to focus on developing their young players like Moniak and Matt Vierling, who are supposed to be part of the team’s future. Herrera’s presence impedes that.
If the Phillies can trade him and get anything in return, they should.
