If it hadn't become clear in the regular season, the Philadelphia Phillies' Wild Card Round loss to the Atlanta Braves exposed an inescapable truth that has haunted this team for years: Most of the relief corps proved untrustworthy when it mattered most. That extended to every part of Don Mattingly's decision-making process, from the attempt to get a nine-out save from closer Jhoan Duran in Game 1 to leaving Christopher Sánchez out to dry late in Game 2.
Those weren't spur-of-the-moment calls, either; Mattingly made it clear before the playoffs began that the only relievers he trusted were rookie Alex McFarlane and Duran. The goal, as he put it, was to win games with as few pitchers as possible.
In the modern era, that's just not how to win in the postseason anymore. Teams need a deep bullpen that can handle high-leverage outs at any point in the game. The Phillies' margin for error in that regard is larger than most because their rotation is so strong, but it's clear that more than just an elite closer is necessary to advance in October.
So, with the need to rebuild the bullpen established, the front office must target stars and buy-low bargains. And as far as players in the latter space go, Camilo Doval might be as good as it gets.
Camilo Doval is exactly the kind of high-upside bet Phillies should be making with relievers this offseason
It wasn't long ago that Doval was a genuine star; he led the NL in saves (39) in 2023 with the San Francisco Giants, posting 3.1 fWAR between that season and his 2022 breakout campaign. He's since slipped into a sustained downturn, made worse by an ill-fated move to the Yankees at the 2025 trade deadline.
He returned to the Giants before the 2026 season ended, but since he's projected to earn about $6.5 million in his final year of arbitration, he's expected to be non-tendered once the offseason begins. Doval is no longer a high-leverage option, but his experience as a closer should be enticing.
He hasn't entirely lost the talent that once put him among the most feared ninth-inning relievers in baseball. His fastball velocity ranked in the 95th percentile this year, and his groundball (51%) and whiff rates (28.5%) remain elite. Without persistent command issues and a depreciation in his ability to induce soft contact, he wouldn't be in the non-tender conversation.
Adding him obviously can't be the only thing Dave Dombrowski does to address the bullpen this winter, but the name of the game right now is adding upside to the relief corps. Doval has that in spades, and he should be an affordable, scrap-heap option if the Giants decide to let him go.
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