The Philadelphia Phillies’ season ended with a whimper in the Wild Card Series. Plagued by injuries and ineffectiveness all season, the Phillies bullpen was among the league's worst—an unwatchable relief corps. With that, let’s dive into each reliever’s 2026 season and give them a grade.
Jhoan Duran: A+
The Phillies’ problem isn’t that they completely lack impact arms. It’s that they lack enough impact arms. The same franchise that went without a dependable ninth-inning option since the days of Johnathan Papelbon now finally has a top-flight closer in Jhoan Duran.
The imposing right-hander arrived from the Minnesota Twins at last year’s trade deadline and has been a revelation. He was excellent down the stretch in 2025 and was just as sharp this season, posting a 1.82 ERA and racking up 33 saves (in 35 opportunities) and 84 strikeouts over 59 ⅓ frames. The 28-year-old is an irreplaceable member of the Phillies’ roster, and the front office should look to extend him before he reaches free agency ahead of 2028.
Alex McFarlane: A
Where would the Phillies have been without Alex McFarlane? They waited until late July to let the 25-year-old make his major league debut, but he hit the ground running. In 19 appearances, McFarlane fired 19 frames of 2.84 ERA ball, punching out 20 batters and holding same-handed hitters to a paltry .189 batting average.
It’s a shame that the dire state of the Phillies’ bullpen led to an untested rookie becoming their second-best option, but what an option he was. It may not be fair to expect this level of dominance for the rest of McFarlane’s career, but if his first taste of the Show is any indication, he should be pretty darn good.
Tim Mayza: A-
What a Godsend Tim Mayza turned out to be. The journeyman southpaw started the year as little more than roster filler, but ended up becoming the best left-handed option on the team, given the struggles of Alvarado, Tanner Banks, and trade acquisition Brooks Raley.
The 34-year-old turned in one of the finest seasons of his nine-year big league career, tossing 67 ⅓ frames of 3.48 ERA ball with 64 punchouts. Evidently, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was impressed, as he announced that the lefty has already been re-signed for the 2027 season.
Jonathan Bowlan: B+
Plenty of fans were displeased when bullpen staple Matt Strahm was traded to the Kansas City Royals last winter for little-known right-hander Jonathan Bowlan, but the deal worked out in the Phillies' favor. Strahm struggled in his new home, and Bowlan became a key setup man to Duran, posting a 3.36 ERA across 59 appearances.
Bowlan was a key piece in 2026 and will factor into the Phillies' plan moving forward; he’s under team control for five more seasons. The only thing keeping him out of “A” status is his shaky September.
Chase Shugart: B-
Chase Shugart really hasn’t gotten enough credit. The 29-year-old is nothing special, but considering the fact that he was acquired last winter for a lottery-ticket Rookie-ball prospect, he was as good as the Phillies could have hoped for. While the club’s bullpen was imploding throughout the regular season, Shugart rode the shuttle between Triple-A and the majors, making his way into 46 contests for the Phils and providing 53 ⅔ innings of 4.02 ERA relief. He wasn’t lights-out by any means, but for a Quad-A arm, he sure helped the big league club enough.
Putrid performers
Tanner Banks: F
Yikes. Soft-tosser Tanner Banks had been a very reliable lefty specialist for the Phillies in the second half of 2024 and all of 2025, but his effectiveness vanished entirely in 2027. The 34-year-old spent much of the season between Triple-A and the IL. Over 32 big-league appearances, Banks was shelled to the tune of a 6.19 ERA. The Phillies can retain him via arbitration for two more seasons, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see him non-tendered at this point.
Brad Keller: D
This grade feels harsh, but it reflects what Keller represented, not necessarily his on-field production. The longtime Royals starter was brought in on a two-year, $22 million deal this past offseason after a breakout season in the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen. Dombrowski has famously struggled to build reliable relief units, and the addition of Keller was supposed to shore up the eighth inning in front of Duran.
Unfortunately, that never came to pass; the 31-year-old scuffled in 32 appearances before undergoing Tommy John surgery that wiped out his second half and likely most of next season. Keller’s 4.02 ERA certainly wasn’t bad enough to warrant a “D” on its own, but given his high price tag and the expectations he came with, he was a total flop.
Orion Kerkering: D+
Poor Orion Kerkering. Given the rollercoaster his Phillies tenure has been, it's easy to forget he’s still just a 25-year-old kid, only two months older than Alex McFarlane. Kerkering’s talent is undeniable, but given the sometimes oppressive nature of Citizens Bank Park, it’s hard to imagine he'll reach his apex in Philly.
Kerkering deserves some credit for starting the year well after his season-ending error last postseason, but the wheels came completely off in the second half, and he finished the regular season with an ugly 4.97 ERA. The Phils exiled him to Triple-A at the tail end of the year and omitted him from the playoff roster, leaving his future with the organization uncertain.
Kyle Backhus: D+
Sidewinding lefty Kyle Backhus came over last December in a minor trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. There was hope that Caleb Cotham could work with Backhus' funky delivery to turn him into an effective Major Leaguer.
That didn’t come to pass in 2026, and Backhus spent most of the season in Triple-A and struggled to a 4.95 ERA across 21 appearances in the Show. On the bright side, the Phils can keep him around for five more seasons if they so choose.
Jose Alvarado: F
This one doesn’t need to be too verbose, considering José Alvarado got his own write-up a few days ago. Suffice it to say, the hefty lefty embarrassed himself and the organization with an atrocious 2026 campaign after being suspended for half of 2025. Good riddance.
Brooks Raley: F
What a disaster Brooks Raley was. Dave Dombrowski acquired him at the trade deadline as a band-aid for his team’s struggling bullpen. The 38-year-old Raley had been excellent in 45 games with the division-rival New York Mets, posting a minuscule 1.96 ERA, but face-planted with a 7.94 mark over 16 appearances in red pinstripes. Raley is a free agent this winter; he won’t be back.
Caleb Kilian: Incomplete
Lanky right-hander Caleb Kilian looked like a bust early in his career, but appeared to be a late bloomer in the first half of 2026 with the San Francisco Giants, posting a solid 4.26 ERA in 44 ⅓ innings. Dombrowski sent skyrocketing pitching prospect Ramon Marquez and reliever Marty Gair to the Bay Area in exchange for Kilian and second baseman Luis Arraez at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, Kilian went down with an oblique strain in his fourth game with the Phils and never returned from the IL. He should be part of the club’s plans moving forward.
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