Philadelphia Phillies Among Teams Actively Seeking Bullpen Help in Free Agency

The Philadelphia Phillies are among several teams that are seeking upgrades to their bullpen in free agency.

Sep 20, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23) and catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) celebrate after defeating the New York Mets at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

One of the areas of the roster the Philadelphia Phillies have to address this winter is their bullpen.

Throughout the 2024 regular season, it was one of their greatest strengths.

Manager Rob Thomson had an unorthodox formula, not going with set roles and just deploying his high-leverage arms in the most important situations throughout a game.

That isn’t something everyone can excel at doing, but it worked for the Phillies. Their bullpen was dominant all year until they unraveled in the postseason.

Some changes could certainly be made as they do not want a repeat performance in October.

A few of them could be forced upon them since Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez are both free agents.

It is unlikely both of them will return, meaning at least one high-end reliever will need to be added to the mix this winter.

According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Philadelphia is looking to do just that.

The MLB insider has reported they are one of several teams who are actively seeking relief help on the free agent market.

The Blue Jays, Red Sox, Phillies, and Yankees are active on free-agent relievers.

Tanner Scott, Carlos Estévez, Jeff Hoffman, Kenley Jansen, Kirby Yates, and Kyle Finnegan are among the top names still available. @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 9, 2024

The reliever market has started to heat up.

Blake Treinen returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers on a two-year deal, while Clay Holmes, who has been a closer for the New York Yankees for a majority of the last three seasons, signed a three-year deal with the New York Mets and is expected to transition into being a starting pitcher.

That is something teams are interested in doing with Hoffman as well.

He began his Major League career in the starting rotation but has since transitioned into being a dominant reliever with the Phillies. It will be interesting to see how his market develops depending on what role teams want him to play.

As things currently stand, Philadelphia has a solid group to work with out of the bullpen.

Orion Kerkering has the tools to be a future closer. Matt Strahm was an All-Star this past year. Tanner Banks, who was acquired from the Chicago White Sox ahead of the trade deadline, remains in the mix.
As does veteran lefty Jose Alvarado, who led the team with 13 saves in 2024.

They also are in agreement with Jordan Romano on a one-year deal.

The pieces for a deep, dominant bullpen are still in place for Thomson to use.

They just need one high-leverage arm to potentially replace what they could lose in free agency and be set for 2025.