The relief pitcher free agent market appears to be gearing up as some big-name relievers have found new homes in recent days. Earlier, flamethrower Aroldis Chapman signed a one-year, $10.75 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. Just more recently, one of the top relief options on the market, Clay Holmes, landed a three-year, $38 million contract with the New York Mets.
With the Philadelphia Phillies in dire need of addressing their bullpen this offseason, they will need to start acting soon before all of the premium options start coming off the board. Let’s take a look at the three best relief pitchers still available for the Phillies to sign heading into the MLB Winter Meetings this coming week.
Here are the three best relief pitchers the Phillies can sign at the Winter Meetings
Carlos Estévez
Carlos Estévez represented the Phillies’ biggest trade deadline acquisition this past season. With José Alvarado struggling in his first season as the team’s closer, Estévez came in to help stabilize the back end of the bullpen at the expense of two top pitching prospects, George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri.
Estévez fulfilled his promise for the most part, posting a 2.57 ERA with six saves, a 1.19 WHIP, seven walks and 18 strikeouts in 21 innings over 20 appearances. However, his fateful lasting memory for Phillies fans came in the playoffs when he gave up a grand slam to Francisco Lindor. That blast ultimately was the difference in the deciding Game 4 of the NLDS as the New York Mets eliminated Philadelphia from postseason play.
Currently ranked in the top five free agent relievers across various outlets, there’s no doubt that Estévez has the poise and stuff to be an elite closer. After all, not everyone can put together a 20-game scoreless streak while giving up three hits like he did this past season. Added to the fact that he is only 31, he should still remain effective for years to come.
Estévez would definitely want the opportunity for redemption with the Phillies and officially erase the disappointing playoff memory by creating much more successful new ones. If Philadelphia was wise, it's a reunion worth pursuing.
Jeff Hoffman
After joining the Phillies on a minor league contract in 2023, Jeff Hoffman evolved into one of the best relievers in the league. In his past two seasons with Philadelphia, Hoffman has posted an 8-5 record with a stellar 2.28 ERA and 0.94 WHIP, with 35 walks and a whopping 158 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings pitched over 122 relief appearances.
Last year, he put up the best numbers of his career, recording personal bests in saves (10), ERA (2.17), strikeouts (89), walk rate (6.0 percent) and strikeout rate (33.6 percent) en route to his first-ever All-Star appearance.
With such an elite performance, it makes total sense why Hoffman was actually ranked the No. 3 free agent reliever this offseason by Baseball America and No. 2 by Just Baseball. Some may point to the fact that he faltered a bit down the stretch and in the playoffs in 2024. But that was likely due to fatigue, as his 66 innings of work represented the most he has accumulated in one season since he was a starter in 2021 with the Cincinnati Reds.
With another year under his belt with an increased innings workload, Hoffman should be able to manage it better in the coming years to keep himself fresh and reliable for a longer period of time. Added to his ability to pitch effectively in any situation he is brought into, it makes Hoffman the most affordable elite relief option available ahead of the Winter Meetings.
But if Hoffman decides to follow in Holmes’ footsteps and wants the opportunity to pitch again as a starter, then the Phillies’ chances of bringing him back would be nonexistent.
Tanner Scott
Ranked as the No. 1 reliever in the market this winter by various baseball outlets, including MLB.com, Tanner Scott would be the perfect addition to the Phillies’ relief corps. In fact, Scott has been one of the most dominant and reliable relievers in the league for the past couple of seasons.
After recording a strong 2023 campaign by going 9-5 with 12 saves, 24 holds, a stellar 2.31 ERA and 0.99 WHIP and a whopping 104 strikeouts in 78 innings over 74 relief appearances with the Miami Marlins, he followed it up with an even better 2024.
This past season, Scott posted an impressive 1.75 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with a .179 opponent batting average and 84 strikeouts in 72 innings over 72 games split between the Marlins and San Diego Padres.
So, how valuable can Scott be? Don’t forget, the Padres shipped four of their prospects at the trade deadline, including three of their top five, according to MLB Pipeline, to acquire his services from the Marlins. To sacrifice that much of their future for what was just a rental shows how much of a difference-maker many believe Scott can be for a contender.
MLB insider Jon Morosi has recently tabbed the Phillies to be a “really good fit” for Scott. So with the prime opportunity for the Phillies to grab perhaps the best reliever in the market right now without giving up a single asset other than money, it is time for Philadelphia to strike at the Winter Meetings.