Philadelphia Phillies Expressing Interest in Two Right-Handed Relievers
It's likely that only minor additions are coming for the Philadelphia Phillies before Opening Day arrives.
Despite the need for another bullpen piece, the front office was never really interested in handing Josh Hader the megadeal that he ultimately signed with the Houston Astros.
They were looking hard at Robert Stephenson before he agreed to a contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
As the reliever market starts to dwindle a bit, the Phillies reportedly have expressed interest in two different pitchers who are still free agents.
"The Phillies were in touch with righty Phil Maton, according to multiple sources, but nothing has materialized. They’ve expressed interest in Jakob Junis, a source said, though the 31-year-old righty would fit more as a multi-inning swingman than a late-game option," writes Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Both pitchers are still relatively young as they are under 32 years old but also have seven seasons of experience.
Phil Maton has been part of the Astros' bullpen that has been one of the best in baseball for the past three years, accumulating an ERA of 3.67 and ERA+ of 111 across 162 games and 157 innings pitched.
He has also been elite in the playoffs, lowering his ERA when it matters most.
Jakob Junis would be the less-polished option.
He has a career ERA of 4.64 with the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants. Based on ERA+, he's five percentage points below the average pitcher.
However, Junis was a former starter and could give the pitching staff many more options if there's an injury or if they need to use him for extended innings.
Like Lauber mentioned, nothing has materialized yet in Philadelphia's reliever search.
This will be something to continue monitoring until something gets done.
