Just when it seemed like the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen was finally rounding into form, the club got devastating news in the form of Jose Alvarado's PED suspension.
The 30-year-old closer will miss 80 games and be ineligible for postseason play, leaving a massive hole in the back end of the bullpen. With Jeff Hoffman having departed last offseason for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Phillies are now without their top right-handed and left-handed relievers from last year's National League East division title team.
Though Matt Staham and Orion Kerkering have been solid and new closer Jordan Romano has begun to round into form, the Phillies bullpen is still a notch below where it was last year. The Phillies will likely be on the hunt for a late-inning arm at the trade deadline, but OnPattison's.com's Tim Kelly believes that they should stay away from perhaps the biggest name on the market: Baltimore Orioles' closer Félix Bautista.
"Bautista has two remaining arbitration years after 2025 until free agency, so general manager Mike Elias will likely want a bounty for him," Kelly wrote. "Right now, Bautista isn't pitching like someone worthy of giving up a major package of prospects for."
The 2023 Mariano Rivera winner for best reliever in baseball, Bautista missed all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and hasn't been quite as sharp upon returning. His 3.78 ERA is over two runs greater than it was in 2023, and his K/9 has dropped from 16.2 to 10.3. He also has pitched on back-to-back days just once in 2025, leaving to question what kind of workload he can handle down the stretch run and into the postseason.
Given the prospect capital it will take to acquire Bautista, Kelly believes the Phillies can find more sensible options in Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Dennis Santana, St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Ryan Helsley and Cincinnati Reds left-hander Taylor Rogers.
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