Stay or Go: Should Phillies Bring Back Jose Alvarado?

A PED suspension muddled the Phillies' fan favorite's season and has left his future with the team uncertain

Aug 31, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher José Alvarado (46) walks off the field after blowing save during the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies' bullpen took a major hit in 2025 when their flamethrowing lefthander was suspended for PED use and deemed ineligible to pitch in the postseason.

Reliever Jose Alvarado has carved out a solid MLB career for himself since joining the Phillies in 2021, and has become beloved by fans for his elite arsenal and hilarious dugout and on-field antics. His reputation took a massive blow recently, however, as an 80-game suspension was handed to him in May for illegal Performance Enhancing Drug use.

He appeared in 28 total games in 2025, posting a respectable 3.81 Earned Run Average across 26 innings. The suspension prevented him from helping an ailing Phillies bullpen in October that blew multiple late-game leads in their NLDS loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also missed the last two weeks of the regular season with a left forearm strain that landed him on the 15-day Injured List in mid-September.

The 30-year-old has a $9 million club option for 2026, making for a decision to be made by the Phillies' President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski.

The Verdict: Stay

Alvarado wasn't at his top form in his brief 2025 campaign, but he still offers legitimate upside and effectiveness moving forward, and at a reasonable cost.

Dombrowski has already alluded to his return, mentioning the southpaw's future with the team on the Foul Territory podcast.

"I’d be surprised without making any announcements that [Jose] Alvarado’s not back with us. But we’ll see what ends up happening," Dombrowski said.

Dave Dombrowski says he'll be surprised if José Alvarado is not back with the Phillies in 2026. pic.twitter.com/8HH1bX23fD

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 23, 2025

It looks as if it's all but certain that he will continue to pitch for the Phillies, at least for 2025. With that being said, it is interesting to analyze if the decision is the correct one on paper. First of all, his suspension outwardly put the team in a vulnerable position that ended up costing them in the biggest moments. He was hit quite hard when batters made contact with his pitches, and the inconsistencies he showed in 2024, a year where he finished with a 4.09 ERA and a rough postseason outing, remained present in some capacity.

However, relievers that touch triple digits with above-average secondary offerings don't grow on trees, despite the leaguewide increase in high-octane arms in recent years. When Alvarado is on, he's nearly unhittable. He has also had postseason success in his past, a trait that few bullpen arms on the Phillies' roster share.

Simply put, Alvarado is still an effective MLB relief pitcher who objectively makes the Phillies better on the surface. There are real concerns with his game and how his off-field decisions will affect his standing with the team, but the decision to retain him is still an obvious one.