The Philadelphia Phillies' bullpen is a mess. It's as simple as that. Through 23 games, ahead of their Tuesday night matchup with the New York Mets, the relief corps has the second-highest ERA in the majors at 5.80.
Four of the eight arms in the bullpen have ERAs over 6.00, with right-hander Jordan Romano topping the list at 15.26 after his disastrous outing on the weekend. Unsurprisingly, those four relievers also have negative fWARs on the young season.
Fans are pulling their hair out any time a new reliever not named José Alvarado, Matt Strahm or Orion Kerkering (although he did give up the back-breaking three-run home run in Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Miami Marlins) is called upon by Phillies manager Rob Thomson. While fans want to see some action from the front office, those in charge of the team are still backing the bullpen they assembled to begin the 2025 season.
Dave Dombrowski still thinks Phillies' bullpen can be 'really good'
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski recently spoke with Jim Bowden and Jensen Lewis of MLB Network Radio and was quick to praise the relievers who have pulled their weight so far.
"We've got some guys out there that have just been thrown absolutely outstanding," Dombrowski said. "Alvarado has been tremendous. Strahm from the left-hand side ... he's pitching great again. Kerkering, from the right-hand side, has really jumped up and is a premier right-handed reliever. So those three guys have been there. Banks has done a nice job for us as a third left-hander."
But, as all Phillies fans are painfully aware, it's not all sunshine and rainbows down in the arm barn right now. Dombrowski also addressed those problems.
"From the right-handed side, we've really had a struggle so far," Dombrowski said, pointing out the obvious. "Romano has not pitched like we thought he would. Now he is healthy, which is good. I think he will bounce back. He hasn't been out there for a while, but we need guys like Romano. Joe Ross pitched well yesterday. He has been a little bit inconsistent for us, so we need those type of guys to step up."
Unfortunately for fans who want to see drastic changes, it doesn't sound like that's in the cards. Dombrowski rightly pointed out that veterans like Romano and Joe Ross should turn things around, which they should. Their track records indicate that they shouldn't be as bad as they've pitched.
"And if they do [step up], and we think they have the capabilities, all of a sudden you say, 'Well, that bullpen is really good, as long as the other guys keep pitching the way they do and stay healthy,'" Dombrowski said about the bullpen turning things around. "But we're in a position where that is something we have to continue to assess. And I do think that guys like Romano and Ross will come around and pitch like they have in the past and be really good for us as the year progresses."
Romano isn't a 15.26 ERA pitcher; he has a career 2.90 ERA. Ross won't have a 7.45 ERA, although it could be north of 4.00.
José Ruiz and his 6.75 ERA might be a little more iffy after he surprised everyone with his 3.71 ERA in 2024. From 2021-24, he posted a 4.19 ERA, so he should be more serviceable than he has shown. It can't get much worse than when he grooved an 0-1 fastball to Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor on Monday night.
If you're looking for an expendable piece, it's likely Carlos Hernández, who the Phillies plucked off waivers right before the season began. He has a 9.00 ERA, but a 17.80 xERA. He'll probably be the one designated for assignment when the Phillies eventually move Taijuan Walker to the bullpen when Ranger Suárez returns — if that's still the plan.
Rob Thomson also believes in Phillies' bullpen
It's not just Dombrowski who's touting the future capabilities of the bullpen. Thomson is also backing his relievers, according to MLB.com's Paul Casella.
"I don't," Thomson said on Sunday when asked if he thinks the Phillies have a bullpen issue, per Casella. "Because it's still a small sample size. I know we have really good arms, really good stuff out there. We've just got to keep working at it, keep grinding through it."
As Casella points out, the bullpen had a rough start in 2024 as well. Through April 21 last year, Phillies relievers had a 5.78 ERA in 67 innings. By that measure, they're not far off that mark this season, with a 5.80 ERA in 71 1/3 innings through Monday.
"It's important," Thomson said about needing someone else to step up in high-leverage situations. "But I think we've got the pieces there to get it done."
The bullpen posted a 2.13 ERA last May, dropping their season-long mark to 3.84 at that time. They finished the year with a 3.94 ERA. But that also involved a lot of turnover during the season and in the offseason.
They started 2024 with names like Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Domínguez, Gregory Soto, Luis Ortiz, Yunior Marté and Connor Brogdon. The final group looked a lot different, and even more so after the winter that saw Hoffman and trade deadline acquisition Carlos Estévez look for greener pastures elsewhere.
They have arms in the minors who have gotten off to solid starts. We'll just have to wait and see how much patience the decision makers in the front office have with the current crop of relievers and how long they'll wait to start the 2025 bullpen churn.