The Major League Baseball offseason seemed to slow to a crawl after the holidays, especially the market for free agent relief pitchers. With plenty of big-name closers and high-leverage arms still looking for new teams for the 2025 season, the market may have finally started to open up after former Philadelphia Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman signed with the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
Hoffman's three-year, $33 million deal (he could earn up to $39 million with incentives) to join the Blue Jays bullpen came before other big names like Tanner Scott and Carlos Estévez have picked their landing spots. The Phillies, possibly scared off by Hoffman's desire for a multiyear pact (and perhaps a shoulder problem), lost one of the most integral pieces of their bullpen from the last two seasons.
While they have added two-time All-Star closer Jordan Romano and veteran World Series champion Joe Ross, the front office should still be looking for another high-leverage arm — the bullpen depth looks thin right now.
3 free agent relief pitchers Phillies should sign now that the market is opening up
Scott, the top arm available, isn't a realistic option because he's looking at a multiyear contract (possibly up to four seasons), and that's okay, as there are names worth digging into for one- or maybe two-year contracts.
Kirby Yates
Kirby Yates is coming off one of the best, if not the best, seasons of his career at 37 years old. He'll be turning 38 right before Opening Day, but teams won't let that scare them off of the veteran right-hander. Even though the Texas Rangers didn't come anywhere close to defending their World Series title in 2024, Yates was not the problem.
Pitching in his 10th MLB season, the former 26th-round draft pick posted career-bests with a 1.17 ERA and 0.83 WHIP en route to his second All-Star appearance and second season finishing in the top 10 in Cy Young balloting. He racked up 33 saves in 34 chances with 85 strikeouts over 61 2/3 innings.
He had the seventh-highest fWAR among relievers, with his 1.9 total right behind Hoffman's 2.0. His career high came in his other All-Star season in 2019 when he posted a remarkable 3.4 fWAR and 41 saves with the San Diego Padres.
Yates doesn't have the exceptional strikeout rates he did back then (41.6 percent), but his 35.9 percent in 2024 isn't anything to sneeze at. The one thing that has regressed over the last few seasons is his walk rate. Yates issued free passes at an 11.8 percent clip last season, but it was an improvement over his 14.6 percent rate in 2023.
A.J. Minter
A.J. Minter will be a familiar name for Phillies fans, having spent his entire eight-year MLB career with the division rival Atlanta Braves. The Braves, however, cut the 31-year-old loose to free agency after he struggled through injuries in 2024. He finished the year on the IL after undergoing hip surgery in August.
The Phillies front office seems to have a propensity for taking on reclamation projects recently so Minter fits that mold perfectly. Back in September, he told MLB.com's Mark Bowman that he was "hoping to heal in time to have a relatively normal offseason."
It's hard to know where exactly Minter is in his recovery, but if he's back to normal, a one-year show-me contract wouldn't be a bad thing to offer. Despite finishing his season with some rough outings thanks to the pain, he still posted a 2.62 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in his 34 1/3 innings of relief.
He has a career 3.28 ERA but posted a 2.82 mark from 2022 to 2024. His strikeout rate took a dip to 26.1 percent in 2024, but he had a 33.1 percent rate in his 134 1/3 innings over the previous two seasons.
While Minter has only picked up 36 career saves, he's no stranger to high-leverage, pressure-packed situations. He helped the Braves win the World Series in 2021 and has 222 strikeouts in 197 1/3 medium- and high-leverage innings in his career.
Kenley Jansen
Veteran Kenley Jansen, now 37 years old, still has something left in the tank. Phillies fans will remember him as a long-time Los Angeles Dodger and from the one season he spent with the Atlanta Braves in 2022. On track to be a strong Hall of Fame candidate, Jansen just wrapped up his 15th MLB season, closing for the Boston Red Sox.
The right-hander picked up 27 saves in 31 chances in Beantown in 2024, registering a 3.29 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 63 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings. In four seasons since the shortened 2020 season, Jansen has a 3.06 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with a 30.2 percent strikeout rate. He has plenty of experience, with 447 career saves, and has played in 10 postseasons with a 2.20 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in 65 1/3 innings.
Despite not having the high velocity that the Phillies front office seems to like, Jansen's bread-and-butter pitch, the cutter, remains one of the best offerings in the league while sitting at 92.2 mph last season. With 7.9 inches of vertical break and 3.1 inches of horizontal break more than comparable pitches, the pitch he relied on 84.9 percent of the time in 2024 is still a weapon.
Adding Jansen to a bullpen that already features Romano might not be a hard sell, as he reportedly wants to join a contender (subscription required), per MassLive's Chris Cotillo, and the Phillies remain one of the best options in that regard.