8 relief pitchers the Phillies should target at the trade deadline

Kendall Graveman, Chicago White Sox

Kendall Graveman has certainly made a name for himself in the past few years in becoming one of the league’s premium relievers in the process. Originally a Blue Jays draft pick back in 2013, Graveman will always be remembered as being part of the trade package that brought superstar Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays. He kicked around the league for the years that followed, until he finally found his groove in 2021 with the Seattle Mariners.

For 2023, Graveman is 3-4 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, with 19 walks and 41 strikeouts in 42 innings of work with the White Sox. He may just be a tad below Robertson’s tier level, but he has been as consistent as he could be for the past three years. In addition, at the young age of 32, he still has many more productive years left, compared to Robertson who is already 38 and counting. As a result, Graveman would be a good investment, whether it be a short or long term plan for the Phillies.

Paul Sewald, Seattle Mariners

When it comes to Paul Sewald, his name might not be as flashy as some of the elite closers around the league that may be available at the deadline. But Sewald is a seven-year veteran that has been successful as the Seattle Mariners closer for the past three years with his high strikeout ability, something the Phillies tend to value highly in their bullpen.

For 2023, Sewald sports a 3-0 record with 19 saves, together with a 2.95 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, giving up only 13 earned runs, 13 walks and 58 strikeouts in just 39.2 innings pitched. More importantly, his strikeout rate of 13.2 per nine innings is right on pace with Phillies’ own Kimbrel and Alvarado, making him a perfect fit with their core. With the Mariners being part of the daunted AL West, and trailing the Astros, Angels and Rangers that are all fighting for playoff spots, they will most likely be sellers at the trade deadline, in which case the Phillies should swoop in to grab Sewald if possible.

David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates

Another name that probably doesn’t jump out of the page when it comes to relievers in MLB is David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Originally a late round draft pick of the San Diego Padres back in 2016, Bednar has certainly carved out a solid career since joining the Pirates back in 2021 and has not looked back since.

This season, he has been totally exceptional as the Pirates closer, approaching almost Josh Hader-like territory. In 37 appearances, Bednar is 3-1 with 18 saves, producing a miniscule 1.18 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, giving up only five earned runs all year, with seven walks and 46 strikeouts in just 38 innings of work. The good news is the Pirates are definitely sellers for the trade deadline, and history has shown they aren’t afraid to trade away their elite closer in their prime, as they have done in the past with Jason Grilli and Richard Rodriguez. Now it all comes down to if the Phillies have the right piece(s) of the puzzle to fit the Pirates’ liking.

Scott Barlow, Kansas City Royals

Scott Barlow is another effective relief pitcher that has been playing on a struggling team for much of the 2023 season. Sitting in the basement in the AL Central and often outscored by their opposition by a whole bundle, Barlow has produced some less than stellar numbers this year, posting a 4.89 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, but a lot of it had to do more with the team’s performance overall rather than his individual ineffectiveness this year.

If one took a look at his previous two seasons, he was one of the top closers in the game, with a sub 2.5 ERA and an ERA+ close to 190, while compiling 40 total saves for the Royals. With Aroldis Chapman being dealt earlier in the year to the Texas Rangers, Barlow has become the Royals attractive trade chip as the trade deadline approaches. The good part coming out of his sub-par numbers posted this year is that Barlow may be available at a lower cost compared to others found on this list, allowing the Phillies to save assets for further additions for the ballclub.

Jordan Hicks, St. Louis Cardinals

Similar to Barlow, Jordan Hicks has been pitching for a floundering St. Louis Cardinals ballclub for the bulk of the 2023 season. As the Cardinals appear to be all but done this season, Hicks should become a hot commodity come the trade deadline with his high strikeout ability of 12.8 punchouts per nine innings. For the season, he is 1-6 with eight saves, with a 3.76 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts in 40.2 innings pitched, and has limited batters to just two home runs all year despite some control issues.

Hicks would fall into the same category tier as Barlow, so the acquisition cost once again shouldn’t be as high as some of the elite relievers available at the trade deadline. In addition, at the young age of 26, Hicks still has many productive years left in his career and could even further his growth, making him a potential valuable asset for the Phillies not only for this year for the playoff run, but for the years beyond as well.

Alexis Díaz, Cincinnati Reds

One of the prized elite closers in the game today, Cincinnati Reds’ Alexis Díaz has followed up his impressive rookie season with an even better sophomore season with the ballclub. He has accumulated a strong 3-1 record with 28 saves (currently ranked second in the league) with a 1.85 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, with 19 walks, 65 strikeouts in just 43.2 innings of work. Just imagine, having both Díaz and Kimbrel to finish off games for the Phillies is like an unstoppable monster.

The main issue for the case of Díaz is that the Reds are currently still somewhat in the playoff race, at least for the division title, as they trail the Milwaukee Brewers by less than two games, so they may not be in selling mode for now. However, they have lost six of their last 10 games, so they may feel this year just might not be it for them. In addition, with Díaz’s enormous potential and the fact he is just getting his feet wet in the major leagues, the cost to acquire his services may be quite astronomical compared to some of the other available options.

Josh Hader, San Diego Padres

Finally, none other than probably the best premium closers in the game today in Josh Hader. He is practically the modern-day version of Mariano Rivera, but with crazy strikeout ability, as games basically feels like a guaranteed win whenever he shows up in the ninth inning. Other than one huge outlier year last year in which he pitched way below his usual career standards, Hader has been lights out ever since beginning his career with the Milwaukee Brewers back in 2017.

For the 2023 season, Hader is currently in the midst of his best year in his career, toying with a 0.97 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, giving up only four earned runs all year, with 19 walks and 55 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched. He has also tallied 24 saves, adding to his total of 156 for his career. Not only that, he has also come up big during the postseason, as in 16 games, he has complied a 1.37 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, giving up only 10 hits, three earned runs, four walks and a whopping 33 strikeouts in just 19.2 inning of work.

If the Padres finally decide to be sellers in the coming week, Hader will be one of the most coveted pieces by any contending team for the trade deadline, and could perhaps get into a bidding war between teams as they fight for his services, making him potentially a costly acquisition. But if the Phillies somehow manage to pull it off, he will instantly transform the Phillies team into strong contention status and they should be pretty much set for a long postseason run as well.

Hopefully, the Phillies will be able to add a reliever or two to round out their bullpen for the stretch run, making way for a fun and competitive ride for the team right to the postseason.