With the news that José Alvarado will not be pitching in the postseason for the Phillies this season due to his suspension — which will also have him miss 80 regular season games — the Phils now have a glaring weak spot in their bullpen.
Alvarado was perfect in save situations and was a total beast in late innings this season. They'll need to replace that.
Jordan Romano and Orion Kerkering have been rounding into form. Matt Strahm has been his usual dominant self from the left side. But who else do you trust in a playoff series?
The Phillies will likely and rightly be aggressive buyers as the trade deadline draws near, but with selling teams knowing they're desperate for bullpen help (and with other teams also in need of upgrades) the price could be steep.
There aren't any stud relief prospects ready to explode onto the scene the way Kerkering did two years ago — at least not right now.
But there is another area of strength that could potentially bail out the Phillies and their need for a reliable late-inning arm.
The Phillies have eight starting pitchers right now, either on the roster, on the injured list or in the high minors who have, or will make a huge impact in 2025. Maybe one of them can follow in Brett Myers' footsteps and become a suitable closer-type for the short term?
Definitely not going to the bullpen
Zack Wheeler
Wheeler is one of the five best pitchers in baseball and will continue to be the team's ace, pursuing a Cy Young award that has alluded him the last few seasons despite his being consistently dominant.
Jesús Luzardo
A sneaky pickup this offseason, Luzardo is 4-0 with a 2.00 ERA and has actually been the team's best starter so far. He is not being moved.
Aaron Nola
Nola has been a career innings eater and doesn't really have the pitching style to convert to a shorter outing. He is more finesse than power, at least when he's pitching well. Career-worst struggles have haunted him this season, but an injury list stint could help him to heal an ailing ankle. He will be given every opportunity to find his groove in the rotation.
Probably a stretch
Andrew Painter
The Phillies really see Painter as a future ace. He's the top pitcher in the farm system and one of the most highly touted prospects in baseball. He's in Triple-A right now ramping up (he tossed five innings last week) and has been projected to make the leap to the majors sometime this summer. His promotion would come at the expense of a current starter, unless he is put in the bullpen.
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He is already a flamethrower who has eye-popping strikeout numbers. There is some precedent for an ace prospect beginning as a reliever and then sliding back to starting. David Price pitched for the 2008 Rays (who lost to the Phillies in the World Series) out of the pen before beginning a long career as a starter. But it would be surprising to see him stretched out to start and then quickly put in a reliever role.
Mick Abel
Abel had a spectacular MLB debut this past weekend and clearly looks like he could find a steady job in the Phillies' rotation. But he has zero experience out of the pen. He has made 93 minor league appearances and all 93 were starts. If this were something the Phillies were considering, they'd convert him ASAP in Triple-A.
Cris Sánchez
In contrast to the prospects we just dove into, Sánchez does have 19 appearances as a reliever under his belt during his five-year career in the majors. But he is currently coming close to posting the breakout sort of season many predicted for him in spring training. He is 4-1 with a 2.91 ERA right now — not really numbers from a starter who is about to be converted to the bullpen.
A good fit
Ranger Suárez
From 2018 through 2021, Suárez had 68 outings with the Phillies out of the bullpen. In 2021, he actually had a 1.12 ERA over 40.1 innings as a reliever and finished 13 games. He moved to the rotation in 2022, but during the World Series run that fall, Suárez actually did relieve twice in the postseason.
Suárez is a lefty with bullpen experience. After a slow — and late— start to 2025, he is looking more like his All-Star self. But unless Dave Dombrowski and company can really make some headlines in July by bringing in multiple end of the bullpen arms, it seems like Suárez has to be the man for the job.
Taijuan Walker
Walker is already a converted starter, and while he is expected to make a spot start in Colorado, he should be back in the bullpen when Nola returns. He is unreliable, but still has the talent to handle MLB hitters. In his first relief appearance back on May 7th, Walker tossed three frames of scoreless baseball with seven strikeouts. He allowed two runs in three innings in his second relief appearance a week later.
Walker is likely going to continue in the swingman role, and even though he likely will be a key piece of the Phillies' bullpen, a 7th or 8th inning slot in October seems like a stretch for him.
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