Philadelphia Phillies: 3 Free Agent Relievers to Tie Up Loose Ends
The Philadelphia Phillies can’t stop building upon their MLB-worst bullpen from 2020. Here are three more relievers for them to pursue.
All offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies have roamed the free-agent market while carrying signs that read, “RELIEVERS FOR HIRE.” After their bullpen unit posted historically poor numbers in 2020 and cost them a playoff berth, the Phils desperately needed to address the sinkhole just beyond the right-center wall.
They traded for Rays left-hander Jose Alvarado to close out the calendar year, then signed right-hander Archie Bradley three weeks later. Philadelphia Phillies relief signings that may have evaded the headlines include Neftali Feliz, Hector Rondon, and, most recently, Brandon Kintzler.
Those additions are not enough for a team that strives to conquer the most daunting division in MLB. They re-signed J.T. Realmuto and Didi Gregorius and added depth options to their starting rotation. Their motto leading up to Spring Training should be “Keep the relievers coming!”
They can pile on with these three bullpen arms:
Yusmeiro Petit
Yusmeiro Petit has inconspicuously led a highly successful MLB career. He’s thrown 826 innings over 13 years, compiling a 3.97 ERA and 3.78 K:BB ratio. For four consecutive seasons, the finesse right-hander has posted an ERA of 3.00 or below, with his career-low 1.66 ERA occurring in 2020.
His outputs contradict assumptions. As a right-handed thrower, Petit disposes of left-handed hitters more effectively than right-handed hitters. He held lefties to a microscopic .077 batting average and .220 OPS last season. Lefties hit .240 against him in 2019 and .183 against him in 2018.
Petit has also fared just as well on the road as at home, which is shocking considering the notorious pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum has been his default park the past three seasons. His home/road ERA split in 2020 was 1.46/1.93; in 2019, it was 2.63/2.79. For Philadelphia Phillies fans, this is proof that he doesn’t need the help of a massive ballpark with infinite foul territory to excel.
The 36-year-old would be a great fit with the Phils. He’s averaged 89 innings out of the pen his last three full campaigns, he tallied a 100% left-on-base percentage in 2020, and his crafty approach throws an advantageous wrinkle in relief units primarily motivated by the radar gun.
Philadelphia can sign a proven, intelligent reliever for next to nothing.
Justin Wilson
Across 23 appearances in 2020 with the New York Mets, LHP Justin Wilson had a 3.04 FIP, struck out 10.5 batters per nine innings, and allowed 0.5 home runs per nine innings. His K/9 rate has exceeded 10.0 in three straight seasons.
Wilson has been a popular commodity among ambitious ball clubs. The Chicago Cubs acquired him from the Detroit Tigers at the 2017 trade deadline; then the Mets signed him to a two-year contract during the 2018 offseason. He struggled in ’17 with the Cubs, though his ERA has not climbed above 3.46 ever since.
The 33-year-old southpaw’s workload has stayed consistent even after the birth of the three-batter minimum rule. He averaged less than an inning pitched per outing in 2019 and 2020, which means the Mets often used him in high-leverage, lefty vs. lefty situations to complete innings. Wilson’s opponent’s batting average against left-handed hitters was .217 in ’19 and .115 in ’20.
The Philadelphia Phillies need a reliever with high-leverage experience. They also crave an established left-hander who can get strikeouts when needed and keep the ball in the ballpark.
Justin Wilson could be a difference-maker in a scrambling Phillies’ pen.
Shane Greene
Shane Greene is coming off of yet another strong campaign. In 28 appearances with the Atlanta Braves in 2020, he pitched to a 2.60 ERA, allowed 0.7 HR/9, and induced groundballs at a 42.7% clip. He pitched 4.2 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS and held the eventual world champs to one run scored.
If signing Shane Greene, the Philadelphia Phillies would gain a reliever in a physical and mental groove. Greene has thrown at least 60 innings in each season of his seven-year career (he was on pace for over 60 in 2020). He’s discovered a comfort level on the mound since becoming a full-time relief pitcher for the Tigers four seasons ago.
While most late-innings relievers lean on two pitches maximum to get hitters out, Greene attacks opposing bats with a fastball, cutter, slider, and changeup. He hurled his changeup a career-high 13.3% of the time last season, perhaps to assist his fastball that has dropped two mph since 2018.
Next. Phils add former All-Star Matt Joyce. dark
He prompts challenging at-bats for opponents, keeping them guessing and making it hard for them to meet the barrel to the ball. Greene would be the perfect partner in crime for the Phillies only current big-name right-handed reliever, Archie Bradley.