The Trade Deadline is more than two months away, but following José Alvarado’s 80-game suspension for violating the league’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment program, the Phillies find themselves in the market for a late-inning reliever.
Where will they find one?
Prior to the announcement of Alvarado’s suspension, a source said the Phillies reached out to free agent David Robertson, easily the best reliever left on the open market. No serious talks took place, the source said, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Phillies considered a reunion with the 40-year-old, who has had two previous stints in Philadelphia.
Now that Alvarado is out for 80 games and will not be eligible to pitch in the postseason, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is likely to be active in his quest to strengthen a bullpen unit that has already had its share of struggles in 2025.
“Dave has a strong track record of using his resources to solve his near-term needs,” one National League executive said. “One would expect that pattern to continue.”
The calendar suggests it might be too early to acquire a reliever via trade, though with a handful of teams off to bad starts, Dombrowski’s search could begin by examining the rosters of those underperforming clubs.
A quick scan of the rosters of the six last-place teams doesn’t reveal many impact arms, though there are some that could help a Phillies bullpen that entered play Monday ranked 7th in the NL with a 4.57 ERA – and that was with Alvarado.
“The top names won’t move now,” an AL executive said. “But there are always bullpen trade options.”
Who might some of those options be?
• The Marlins’ Anthony Bender has a 1.89 ERA in 19 appearances this season, is earning $1.42 million this season and has two years of control remaining beyond 2025. Miami president of baseball operations Peter Bendix dealt Luis Arraez in early-May last year, so he’s shown a willingness to move players earlier than most clubs might consider.
• Pittsburgh’s Dennis Santana (1.96 ERA, 4 saves in 19 appearances) falls into the same category, with a $1.4 million salary and two years of arbitration remaining until free agency. Bryan Baker of the Orioles is having a strong season (2.37 ERA, 25 strikeouts in 19 innings) and could be a sell-high candidate for Baltimore, which has three years of club control left for the right-hander.
• Perhaps the Angels would be willing to move closer Kenley Jansen, who is earning $10 million on a one-year deal. But Los Angeles is still within 4 1/2 games of a Wild Card spot, making it unlikely the Angels would begin selling now.
• Cam Booser of the White Sox doesn’t have gaudy stats (4.41 ERA in 19 outings), but the left-hander ranks in the top 20 percent of the league in fastball velocity (96 mph), xBA (.196) and whiff percentage (31.2).
• Rockies right-hander Jake Bird has a 1.98 ERA in 18 appearances, striking out 35 batters in 27 1/3 innings. He’s earning only $770,000 this season but will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter. It should be noted that Bird and Bryce Harper were involved in a benches-clearing incident in 2023, though who knows if Dombrowski would take that into account.
“I think they’ll make a move to replace [Alvarado],” an NL executive said. “It might be more depth-related than actually finding a bona fide closer, but they’ll add to the back end somehow.”
Unlike the options mentioned above, David Bednar of the Pirates might be the most intriguing early-season trade option. The two-time All-Star has overcome a rocky start to the season, posting a 2.31 ERA over his past 12 appearances, striking out 18 while walking only one batter in 11 2/3 innings. Bednar is earning $5.9 million this season and is arbitration-eligible for one more year.
“Surveying the external options seems likely at this point,” an NL executive said. “Not only do they have the need, but now they also have the funds from Alvarado’s forfeited salary [a savings of approximately $4.5 million] to make such a move.”
One executive noted that other clubs such as the Rays and Brewers have shown a willingness to part with talent in May or June if they believe they are getting strong value in return. Dombrowski might need to be creative in his search for a bullpen arm, but as another exec said, “They’re out there.” More will become available as July creeps closer, but for now, the options are somewhat limited.
Following the announcement of Alvarado’s suspension, Dombrowski pointed out that the Phillies have “an abundance of starters,” which could allow them to convert one (or more?) into relief arms for the remainder of the season. Seth Johnson, the team’s No. 12 prospect, was recently converted from a starter into a reliever, while No. 8 prospect Mick Abel – who had an impressive big league debut this week – could be an option at some point given his place on the team’s rotation depth chart.
Taijuan Walker could also be a prime candidate for such a move, at least once Aaron Nola returns from the injured list to regain his spot in the rotation. Walker has made a pair of three-inning relief appearances this month, with his stuff playing up out of the bullpen by roughly one mile per hour on both his fastball and slider.
Walker as starter (6 games, 28 1/3 innings):
17.6% strikeout rate
10.4% walk rate
.227 opponents’ batting average
Walker as reliever (2 games, 6 innings):
37.5% strikeout rate
4.2% walk rate
.182 opponents’ batting average
Jordan Romano, who signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Phillies this season, will likely take over as closer for the time being. Romano struggled in April (13.50 ERA in his first 11 outings), but he hasn’t allowed a run over his past eight appearances dating back to April 27.
Still, even if Romano regains the form that helped him make the All-Star team in both 2022 and 2023, the Phillies figure to be on the hunt for at least one or two bullpen arms in the coming weeks and months.
“That roster is good and I can’t see them allowing a suspension like this to get in the way of what they are trying to accomplish in October,” an NL executive said. “It’s also something they have to figure out for the postseason given that he isn’t going to be available to them if they make it. So it’s not just about the 162; they’ll need to figure out the bigger picture if they get in. That puts even more pressure on them to do something in the near-term.”