Every Major League Baseball fan lives in fear of their favorite team's bullpen blowing up with the season on the line.
A bad postseason bullpen sank the Philadelphia Phillies in 2024, and it's only gotten worse in the 2025 regular season. The Phillies let Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez walk in free agency, and now Jose Alvarado is suspended for 80 games and the postseason.
The Phillies cannot depend on Orion Kerkering and Jordan Romano to lock down games in the ninth inning come September and October. They'll almost certainly make a big trade or two this summer to revamp the bullpen.
The question now is which reliever(s) Philadelphia will pursue.
On Tuesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan attempted to answer that question. Passan named Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks as the "best fit" for the Phillies at this year's deadline.
"Maybe it's Fairbanks. Maybe it's (Kyle) Finnegan. Maybe it's both. Or even more. The Phillies' bullpen has been one of the worst in baseball," Passan wrote.
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"Even if it was much better in May, their only reliever with a sub-3.00 ERA was Orion Kerkering. And with Jose Alvarado down for 80 games and out for the postseason following a PED suspension, the need for help is that much more grave."
Fairbanks, a 31-year-old fireballer, owns a 2.05 ERA in 22 appearances this season, saving 10 of 11 opportunities. He's on a $3.8 million salary this year and has a club option for $8 million in 2026.
It's obvious that Fairbanks would be an ideal fit for the Phillies, and the Rays are more opportunistic than anyone about trading away their veterans. But there's still no guarantee a deal gets done, especially because every contender will be in on the top relievers.
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