The Philadelphia Phillies are likely to add at least one reliever by the MLB trade deadline. They had bullpen concerns during April before reliever José Alvarado began serving an 80-game suspension for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy. Baltimore Orioles closer Félix Bautista might be the solution.
With Alvarado unavailable until mid-August and the MLB playoffs, the probability is even higher that the Phillies front office will look to add to the bullpen this summer. Former MLB executive and current analyst Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently focused on trade targets that would address the biggest need for each club with a legitimate chance of making the postseason.
Orioles' closer Félix Bautista would solve the Phillies' need for a high-leverage reliever
Bowden wrote that the Phillies' biggest need is to acquire another high-leverage reliever. He listed Bautista, Mason Miller, Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, Aroldis Chapman and David Bednar among the possible targets Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski may pursue. He included Bautista as his favorite among the options (subscription required).
"The Phillies’ front office is determined to land a dominant back-end-of-the-bullpen reliever, and I’m sure they will do so before the trade deadline," Bowden writes. "If the Orioles don’t get back in the race, [Felix] Bautista could be the Phillies’ best option to take over the ninth inning."
“The Phillies’ front office is determined to land a dominant back-end-of-the-bullpen reliever, and I’m sure they will do so before the trade deadline. If the Orioles don’t get back in the race, [Felix] Bautista could be the Phillies’ best option to take over the ninth inning.” https://t.co/ZfRazTBG1g pic.twitter.com/xwI3o4HDWR
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 12, 2025
Bautista missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery. He has 14 saves in 15 opportunities and a 3.04 ERA in 24 games. He is on pace for his highest ERA and allowing the most walks in his three MLB seasons, with 17 already.
However, the 29-year-old has not allowed a run in eight of his last nine appearances with a 1.00 ERA and seven saves, and "appears to be making progress in getting closer to his pre-Tommy John surgery form," per Bowden. If the Orioles decide to become sellers leading up to the trade deadline, the right-hander may be a trade target for clubs that need bullpen help.
The Phillies could benefit from trading for Bautista because he is making $1 million in 2025 and has two more years of arbitration remaining until 2028. That would make him a more affordable high-leverage option for Philly. The organization decided to let former relievers Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez leave in free agency and signed pitcher Jordan Romano to a more affordable one-year contract.
The decision has not worked out to the Phillies' benefit, as Estévez is second among relievers with 19 saves and an excellent 2.05 ERA in 30 contests with the Kansas City Royals. Hoffman's 5.70 ERA in 31 games for the Toronto Blue Jays is high, but his 17 saves rank sixth in MLB. Romano has improved from his early-season struggles with Philadelphia, but has been inconsistent overall.
Philly may look to trade for another left-handed reliever that they can use in high-leverage situations in place of Alvarado. However, Bautista could also be another solid addition to a team that may aim to acquire multiple relievers by the end of the deadline.