The Philadelphia Phillies pulled off their first noteworthy trade of the offseason when they sent away Matt Strahm, a beloved lefty reliever, to the Kansas City Royals for righty Jonathan Bowlan.
In the wake of trading Strahm, there were a lot of questions asked about why this move was made, and while the financial ($7.5 million saved) makes sense, there are still other factors at play.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic shared the reasoning from Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski for this trade. Dombrowski revealed that there's more to this deal than just the financial side of things.
Phillies' Dave Dombrowski explains Matt Strahm trade
"We didn't necessarily think we needed all three (lefties)," Dombrowski said. "(Strahm is) a year away from free agency. We were able to get a guy that we liked who has six years of (club control), and we think can help us right away. So you have to give to get. And we still feel good with our left-handers in the bullpen."
There are a few key takeaways from this, but for starters, his first reason - that the Phillies didn't need to have three left-handed relievers on the roster - is interesting.
While Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks were impressive at times last season, both are more shaky options than Strahm, and carry more risk than the now formerly beloved Phillies lefty.
They also went out and traded for Kyle Buckhus from the Arizona Diamondbacks as another left-handed option out of the bullpen. He's only pitchable against lefties, but is a decent depth option for the Phillies in the bullpen.
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The other main reason isn't just the $7.5 million saved, but that Strahm is only under contract for the 2026 season, and the Phillies wanted to secure more long-term options.
Bowlan is under club control through 2031, and an extra five years longer than Strahm is under club control. If Bowlan can replicate Strahm's effectiveness, even in limited scenarios as a middle reliever, then this trade can be worthwhile.
Dombrowski's explanation of the Strahm trade makes a few points clear: The Phillies wanted some long-term options in the bullpen, and amid confidence in their other left relievers, Strahm was the most realistic one to be dealt.
This trade is certainly an interesting one, and by this time next season, it might look a whole lot different than it does right now. It's a risk, and one Dombrowski and the Phillies are willing to take.
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