3 former Phillies who could be headaches in the 2024 MLB playoffs

The Philadelphia Phillies have clinched the NL East and a first-round bye for the MLB playoffs this season. They don't yet know who they're facing in the NLDS, which begins Oct. 5, and there are plenty of potential matchups still to be determined this weekend.

With the Phillies having their eyes set on a World Series championship this year, the last possible thing that they want is to have some of their former players get in the way. Not only would it thwart Philadelphia from obtaining the ultimate prize, it would likely sting a lot more since they could have done it with the Phillies instead.

We will take a look at three former Phillies who could prove to be headaches for their former club this postseason.

3 former Phillies who could be headaches in the 2024 MLB playoffs

Seranthony Domínguez, BAL

It's pretty rare for a contending team to trade a player at the deadline to then have them come back and bite them the very same year as the majority of the time, contending teams deal with a non-contenders. However, there is a possibility of it happening to the Phillies this year after they sent reliever Seranthony Domínguez to the AL-contending Baltimore Orioles in the trade for outfielder Austin Hays.

After starring as one of the Phillies’ main reliable bullpen cogs in 2022, Domínguez had struggled for each of the past two seasons. This year, things got even worse when he compiled a dismal 4.75 ERA over 38 appearances with Philadelphia, easily his worst ERA posted in his MLB career. With his inability to get batters out, he became expendable at the trade deadline as the Phillies used him to address their outfield need. 

Since joining the Orioles, though, Domínguez has tidied up his game a bit and supplanted the now-released Craig Kimbrel in the closer’s role. In 23 appearances before Friday’s action, he has gone 10-for-11 in save opportunities while posting a 3.43 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with seven walks and 26 strikeouts in 21 innings. As he continues to gain confidence and lock down games for the Orioles, the last thing the Phillies would want is for Domínguez to do it against them in the most important games during the World Series.

Zach Eflin, BAL

Former Phillies pitcher Zach Eflin may have left two years ago, but his departure from the ballclub during the 2022-23 offseason to join the Tampa Bay Rays could end up hurting the Phillies more as the years go by.

At first thought, the loss didn’t seem too big of a deal. After all, during his eight-year tenure with the Phillies, Eflin just put up pedestrian numbers, with a 36-45 record, 4.49 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, with 160 walks and 552 strikeouts in 659 1/3 innings pitched in 115 starts. It was easy for the Phillies to find an adequate replacement for the right-handed pitcher. 

However, Eflin was a first-round pick back in the 2012 MLB Draft for a reason, and the Rays certainly discovered why in his first year with his new ballclub. In 2023, Eflin finally had his breakout season that everyone had been waiting for, posting stellar numbers across the board including an AL-leading 16 wins, along with a 3.50 ERA and 1.02 WHIP, with just 24 walks and 186 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings. 

This season, Eflin struggled to a 4.09 ERA in the first half with the Rays. But since joining the Orioles at the trade deadline, he has drastically turned things around. In nine starts with his new club, he sports a 5-2 record with a solid 2.60 ERA and 1.12 WHIP, with 11 walks and 47 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings. If he manages to carry those ace-like numbers with him into MLB playoffs, he will be tough to face if the Phillies were to meet Baltimore in the World Series.

More importantly, as Eflin enters the prime of his career, he appears to be solidifying himself as a potential front-end of the rotation pitcher. In retrospect, the Phillies just so happened to sign Taijuan Walker to a much larger deal the same offseason that Eflin left town as his replacement. With Walker’s ongoing struggles and Eflin’s success, this huge headache for the Phillies certainly goes beyond just the potential postseason matchup as they are left to ponder what could have been.