Philadelphia Phillies: Searching for this generation’s Brad Lidge
By Tim Boyle
Elite shut-down relievers are hard to find, but the Philadelphia Phillies have a history of having one when they win. Where can they find their bullpen ace?
When the Philadelphia Phillies won the 2008 World Series, they did it with Mr. Perfect Brad Lidge as the closer. Where do they find the next version of “Lights Out?”
Hector Neris held down the closer spot well for the Philadelphia Phillies last year. However, he’s far from elite.
Next winter offers a few other options for the Phillies to consider. Included is Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel. Do they go after the big shot?
After the Jonathan Papelbon fiasco, I’m not so sure the Phillies are ready to go huge at the closer spot. Said with much positivity, Kimbrel is a different breed than Papelbon between the ears. Still, he’s costly and probably not on their radar.
The Phillies have a lot more to do before nailing down a topnotch closer. Though they don’t need one of the top five in MLB, it would be great if they could find the next Brad Lidge.
Candidates for the next Brad Lidge
Remember Brad Lidge? He came to the Phillies ahead of the amazing 2008 season via a trade with the Houston Astros. The deal turned into history-making one as he was perfect during his first year with the Phillies all the way through the postseason.
At the time, Lidge was highly regarded, but not mentioned among the greats. He had years of experience as a closer under his belt with the 2006 season standing out in a bad way. Lidge finished that year with a 5.28 ERA before bouncing back the following season at 3.36. On the other side of 30 and declining from his better days, the Astros willingly parted with him.
As history would show, the Phillies were right taking the chance on him.
In their search for the next Brad Lidge, the Phillies need to consider closers with some similar traits. They need to skip the top names and go to those one or two steps down.
Former Phillies closer Ken Giles is a good match. His poor postseason has left a bad taste in the mouths of many Astros fans. Could the Phillies look to reacquire him?
After Giles, there are guys like Sean Doolittle, Brad Hand, and Cody Allen who could potentially become the new Lidge. Doolittle and Allen are closer and more attainable for the Phillies. Hand, currently with the San Diego Padres, only deserves a mention here because of how limited his successful run as a closer has been. He could surely trend backward quickly. However, the timing doesn’t sync up well. The Padres seem to prefer keeping onto him anyway as they embark on their own possible spending spree next year.
Allen might be the best option out there among those mentioned. He also happens to hit free agency just in time for Philadelphia to make their move. Allen will join the free agent frenzy next winter ahead of his age 30 season. As one of the most consistent and underappreciated closers in baseball for several seasons now, he’s the right man for the job.
Next: Pursuing Harper just the start for Phils
Whether he could become the next Brad Lidge or not is debatable. Allen can, however, make his own mark in Philadelphia. A level below Craig Kimbrel, Kenley Jansen, and the other great closers in baseball, he’s just what the Phillies may need.