USATSI_18538547 — © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Who Could Usurp Familia in Philadelphia Phillies Bullpen?

Philadelphia Phillies reliever Jeurys Familia has not lived up to his contract. Who in the Phillies' system could replace him?

Author:
Ben Silver
Jul 23, 2022 3:00 PM EDT

In this story:

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have a Jeurys Familia problem.

Every Major League free agent contract is a sunk cost the moment it's signed. When players report to spring camp in February, or March if the year is 2022, their payroll is determined, barring incentives.

There's no reason to give players a longer leash depending on the size of their contract, especially if they're actively harming the team.

The Phillies signed Familia to a one-year, $6 million contract following the end of the MLB lockout. Dave Dombrowski has no incentive to keep Familia on the roster, his deal with the Phillies is limited to one year.

From the first month of the season, Familia looked like a disaster. By the end of April, his FIP was 4.03, by May, it was 4.54. As of his July 22nd outing against the Chicago Cubs, his ERA (4.99) has caught up to that towering FIP (5.01).

Given the Phillies relatively light hitting, one of their strengths needs to be the bullpen, and Familia's 9.00 ERA since June 14 is not going to cut it in a playoff chase.

Luckily, the Phillies do have a multitude of internal replacements.

The simplest option is Sam Coonrod. Coonrod has been consistently on and off the injured list just about since last June. Nevertheless, he put up astounding numbers to begin 2021, keeping his ERA to 0.95 through May 19.

Coonrod has very high upside and just began a rehab assignment with the Single-A Clearwater Threshers on July 22. He's less than two weeks from returning to the big club on a pessimistic time scale.

Another option could be Mark Appel. The 31-year-old former first overall pick finally made his big league debut this summer, and was effective in the seven innings he pitched, allowing just one run with a nasty sinker/slider combo.

The Phillies main stretch reliever is Cristopher Sánchez, who sports a 3.80 ERA in 23.2 innings in 2022 at the Major League level.

Excluding relievers from the conversation, Philadelphia will need to demote a player for Bailey Falter when he returns to the big club to start on Sunday. The Phillies currently roster nine relievers, so someone will need to be demoted.

That person is more likely to be Jojo Romero than Familia. Romero also allowed three runs on July 22, but has minor league options. With Romero, the likely candidate for demotion when Falter is recalled, the Phillies face no immediate obligation to remove Familia from the roster.

However, when the Phillies inevitably trade for a pitcher at the deadline, he will be in trouble. If that player is a reliever, Familia is the most obvious possibility for DFA. If the Phillies do go after a starter, that could shift Falter to the bullpen instead of the minor leagues, keeping Familia on the chopping block.

Whichever way you look at it, Familia's days on the Phillies are numbered.