Phillies' José Alvarado and Tanner Banks to Bring Unique Set-Up Situation for Duran

Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran is one of the best shut-down pitchers in the game. This offseason, though, the team traded Matt Strahm to the Kansas City Royals, forcing the team to reconsider how to get the ball in Duran's hands.

NBC Sports Philadelphia's Cole Weintraub explained Rob Thomson, Cesár Ramos, and Co.'s plan for the seventh and eighth innings of close games: a committee approach that prioritizes lefties Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks against lefty hitters based on the situation, and Brad Keller and Orion Kerkering doing the same for right-handed hitters.

As Weintraub further explained, though, things will be even more situationally micromanaged to get the best matchups, considering how different Alvarado and Banks' stuff are.

"The bullpen still begins with two southpaws, but the approach has shifted. With Strahm traded, the Phillies are leaning further into matchup usage — and the two left-handers who remain offer entirely different problems," Weintraub prefaced before saying, "José Alvarado is coming off a turbulent 2025, but the raw traits remain intact. His sinker averaged 99.1 mph and ranked in the 99th percentile in fastball velocity. It wasn’t even his most effective pitch.

"Alvarado leaned heavily on his cutter, which has long been a foundation of his success. Excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season, opponents have hit .181 or lower against the pitch. It’s not a finesse approach — it’s built on tunneling the two kinds of fastballs.

"Tanner Banks offers the contrast. The softer thrower of the pair, Banks made his biggest leap in 2025 by limiting free passes. He leaned into his strengths, mixing a slider/sweeper and four-seamer as part of his five-pitch mix, with the sweeper continuing to improve year over year.

"Among left-handers who faced at least 110 left-handed hitters last season, Banks allowed the fewest earned runs in the majors (five) and posted a 1.47 ERA. There may be another layer coming. His changeup averaged 36.6 inches of vertical drop, giving it the shape to develop into a late-count swing-and-miss option if he leans on it more in 2026."

Jhoan Duran Likely a Long-Term Piece for Phillies

On January 8, per MLB.com's Paul Casella, "The Phillies agreed to one-year contracts with seven players on Thursday, avoiding salary arbitration with each of their eligible candidates.
That group was headlined by electric closer Jhoan Duran ($7.5 million)..."

Given how smooth the process was with Duran, Philadelphia should be expected to re-sign the flamethrowing closer to a long-term extension at some point over the next year and a half. Duran becomes a free agent after the 2027 season.