Inside The Phillies

Could Philadelphia Phillies Be in the Market for Another Top Reliever?

The Philadelphia Phillies might need to add another elite arm in the bullpen and there is a very intriguing option on the market.

Dylan Sanders

Apr 9, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech (34) throws a pitch
Apr 9, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech (34) throws a pitch / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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The Philadelphia Phillies have the best record in baseball and might not be done improving their team.

If Philadelphia has a weakness this season, it would be their disappointing bullpen. They could be in the fold for one of the more exciting arms in the trade market.

The Chicago White Sox are expected to trade away their top pieces, which include reliever Michael Kopech.

If that name sounds more familiar to you as a starter, you’d be correct. He was a starting pitcher for the first four years of his career, but has now moved into the bullpen and is looking more valuable than ever before.

With his new role, he has pumped up his fastball an average of 3.7 MPH, making great use of the smaller workload.

Through the first 16 outings of the season, the 28-year-old has a 3.93 ERA which doesn’t tell the whole story. The advanced stats show that he has been a victim of poor defense, which tracks as Chicago has one of the worst in the league.

His xERA and xBA are both above average. HIs xBA of .176 is one of the best in the league. He should be one of the most inquired about relievers on the market and for good reason.

The Texas native is young and is under team control through next season. The White Sox desperately need more bats in their farm system, so expect to say goodbye to at least a top 10 non-pitching prospect.

Philadelphia doesn't need a new closer as Jose Alvarado has bounced back well from his early season disaster, but they need more arms in front of him.

Of their relievers with at least 10 innings pitched, just three have an ERA under 4.00. One of those three, Yunior Marte, just landed on the IL to make things even worse.

Gregory Soto and Serathony Dominguez have been very poor this season and made this a more pressing need than it should have been.

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Dylan Sanders

DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders