The Phillies should extend José Alvarado before Bryce Harper
José Alvarado is one of the top left-handed relief pitchers in baseball. The nasty lefty has arguably become the glue that makes the entire Phillies bullpen stick since he arrived via a three-team trade in December 2020. A minor deal at the time, the addition of Alvarado has to be viewed as a steal by the Phillies front office as his power arm has translated into getting big outs for Phillies teams that have appeared in the postseason the last two years.
Alvarado lights up radar guns with a sinker that regularly touches 100 mph and a cutter that takes a little off but still reaches 93 mph. This balanced attack has produced an 11-5 record with a 3.16 ERA, 17 saves, and 213 strikeouts in 148 innings in 165 games during his three-year career in Philadelphia. The go-to guy in manager Rob Thomson's bullpen, Alvarado is frequently tasked with getting big outs in close ball games.
Alvarado has two years and a club option for 2026 remaining on his current contract. On a Phillies team that enters 2024 without a named closer, Alvarado will likely be part of a group of relief pitchers asked to close out games this season. While the club option exists for 2026, it wouldn't be the worst thing to try to extend Alvarado for a few more seasons if he can continue his current trend of dominance out of the Phillies bullpen.