The Philadelphia Phillies, as we sadly all know, desperately need bullpen help. The Baltimore Orioles' Seranthony Domínguez is someone they should welcome back with open arms.
The Phillies' bullpen still ranks 25th in baseball with a 4.54 ERA. A 21st-ranked 4.21 ERA in June is better than when it began the season with a 5.03 ERA through the end of April. It's still not good enough, however, especially considering Philadelphia relievers have been among the least taxed in the majors thanks to the stellar work of the rotation.
Leading up to the July 31 trade deadline, the Phillies front office will be scouring the trade blocks across Major League Baseball for relievers. How many, exactly, remains to be seen. But the 30-year-old right-hander, who was traded away at last year's deadline, has been virtually unhittable since introducing a new pitch.
Seranthony Domínguez should be on Phillies' trade deadline rader thanks to his new splitter
Domínguez's season has been a tale of two halves. Up to May 24, he had a 6.00 ERA, a 1.61 WHIP, 20 strikeouts and 13 walks in 18 innings out of the Baltimore bullpen. He wasn't getting the job done. The right-hander debuted a new splitter in late April, as documented by The Baltimore Banner's Andy Kostka.
It took a little while to iron things out, but Domínguez hit his stride and hasn't looked back thanks to the new offering. His splitter usage rose to 23.8 percent in June — up from 11.3 percent in May. He's getting a 54.3 percent whiff rate with the new pitch.
In 16 1/3 innings since May 26, he hasn't allowed an earned run (he has allowed just two unearned runs). He has racked up 25 strikeouts and allowed just seven walks and six hits. He has the second-highest fWAR (0.8) among qualified relievers over that span, while his 41 percent strikeout rate ranks ninth.
On the season, he now has a 3.15 ERA in 34 1/3 innings and his Statcast sliders are an impressive sea of red, with most categories above the 90th percentile.
Seranthony Domínguez, Wicked Back-to-Back Splitters. 🤢
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 18, 2025
Expelliarmus!! 🪄 pic.twitter.com/KmqGKS4CBW
If you're not familiar with Domínguez's history in Philadelphia, the native of the Dominican Republic signed with the Phillies in 2011. He made his Phillies debut in 2018 and was a big part of helping the team return to the playoffs in 2022 and make that magical run to the World Series. During the postseason run, he went 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 0.75 WHIP with 18 strikeouts and just one walk in 10 2/3 innings.
The Phillies traded Domínguez to the Orioles at last year's deadline as part of the doomed deal for outfielder Austin Hays. He appeared in 230 regular season games in his Phillies career, posting a 3.55 ERA with 28 saves, 56 holds and 253 strikeouts in 220 2/3 innings.
The trade deadline situation lines up perfectly for the reliever-hungry Phillies. Domínguez is on an expiring contract. The Orioles are 34-46 and all but out of the playoff race in the American League. Coming into Tuesday, they're 11 games out of the AL East and seven back in the Wild Card. It's only a matter of time before they start selling pieces, and the Phillies should be looking to bring the long-time Phillie back to town.