Two things are simultaneously true about the Philadelphia Phillies' pitching staff right now. First, the rotation is more or less set for next year and doesn't need a lot of help; second, the bullpen is in all kinds of flux and needs a ton of help.
The starting five is crystal clear: Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Andrew Painter, and Aaron Nola will be the group, with Alan Rangel and top prospect Gage Wood serving as the immediate depth behind them. The Phillies would probably like to add a veteran to the picture who could serve as a potential injury replacement, but that's pretty low on the offseason priority list.
Meanwhile, the relief corps is a mess. Jhoan Durán is as good as it gets in the ninth inning, but the outlook after him gets really murky, especially since Brad Keller will be out of action for most of the year recovering from elbow surgery. It's especially important that the Phillies add a left-hander to the group; they need to replace both José Alvarado and Brooks Raley.
Thus, I present Ryan Yarbrough, one of the few players available in free agency who can kill multiple of these birds with one stone.
Why Ryan Yarbrough is a perfect pitching target for Phillies this offseason
Yarbrough first made a name for himself when he broke into the league as a starter with the Rays a number of years ago, but he never quite stuck in that role. He eventually converted to relief around 2022 and has made significant strides in recent seasons.
The past three years have been the best of the southpaw's career. He's recorded a 3.66 ERA over 91 relief appearances and 10 starts in that time, over 226 innings. He also excels against left-handed batters, holding them to a .204 batting average since he debuted in the big leagues.
The big question is whether he's still capable of stepping into a starting role when called upon. He didn't have a single outing that lasted longer than three innings in 2026, though he was frequently terrific as a spot starter the year before; save for one blow-up outing against the Red Sox, Yarbrough recorded a 2.25 ERA in 36 innings as a member of the New York Yankees rotation in 2025.
His ability to handle bulk innings out of the bullpen is enough of a sell on its own that it's hard to envision the Phillies passing on him regardless of his ability to handle a starter's workload, but his versatility is one of his best traits. He'd be cheaper to sign as a pure reliever, but he's also only inked contracts worth $2 million and $2.5 million over the past two years.
As such, Yarbrough brings exactly what the Phillies need to the table. He's affordable, and he can cover any weaknesses that arise anywhere on the pitching staff. He won't transform the bullpen by himself, but he'd go a long way toward making the group as a whole more reliable.
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