The Phillies bullpen took a huge hit over the weekend, as José Alvarado was hit with an 80-game suspension after a failed performance-enhancing drug test. Players suspended for PEDs are barred from participating in the postseason that year. Alvarado should return to the Phils bullpen in early August, but he will not be a factor in October.
Relief pitching stood out as a clear target for the Phils even before they lost their closer. To that end, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that Philadelphia reached out to free agent reliever David Robertson prior to the announcement about Alvarado’s suspension. Robertson remains unsigned, of course, and Feinsand writes that initial talks with Philadelphia never seriously developed.
Perhaps the Phillies will look to reengage with the All-Star righty now that circumstances have changed. Robertson, who turned 40 in April, has not provided any indication that he’s retiring. At the same time, he clearly wasn’t motivated to take what he considered below-market money to sign. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote last month that Robertson had sought a $10MM contract during the offseason. That’s not an outlandish number for one season of a high-end setup man.
Robertson pitched for Philly in 2019 and ’22, combining for a 3.30 ERA over those separate stints. He remained a key high-leverage arm with the Rangers last year. He reeled off a career-high 72 innings with an even 3.00 earned run average. Robertson punched out more than a third of opponents while averaging 93.3 MPH on the cutter that has long served as his primary offering. While there’s always a risk that a player’s production will drop off sharply in his late 30s or early 40s, Robertson didn’t show any obvious signs of decline a year ago.
That makes it fairly surprising that he wasn’t able to find a deal to his liking early in the offseason. It’s far more difficult to see him commanding a significant salary on a midseason contract, as teams tend to be up against their imposed budgets (at least until closer to the trade deadline). Alvarado is not paid during his suspension, so he’ll lose nearly $4MM of his $9MM salary. That could theoretically open spending room for the Phils, but Alvarado will return to the payroll for the final two months of the season and it’s unclear whether Robertson is willing to budge at all on his asking price.
The trade deadline is a little more than two months off. The Phils made one of the biggest reliever moves at last summer’s deadline, acquiring rental closer Carlos Estévez from the Angels for a pair of pitching prospects. They might be similarly aggressive this July. They’ll have a tough time pulling off a significant trade within the next few weeks, though.
The Cardinals have long been expected to move Ryan Helsley this summer, but they’ve been one of the best teams in the league over the past month and are within a game of the NL Central lead. The Nationals will probably deal Kyle Finnegan at some point, though it seems unlikely that’ll happen two months into the season. The reeling Orioles have a couple arms (e.g. Félix Bautista, Keegan Akin) who’d generate interest if they’re willing to listen on players who are controllable beyond this year. Feinsand highlights a few speculative trade candidates on the handful of truly rebuilding teams, but those clubs (Rockies, White Sox, Marlins, Pirates) rank near the bottom of the league in bullpen effectiveness.
For now, Jordan Romano is expected to return to the closing role in Philadelphia. The offseason signee has kept opponents off the board in each of his past eight outings. He hasn’t allowed a hit in any of four most recent appearances. Romano’s season numbers are weighed down by a horrendous start, but he’s been dominant since the calendar turned to May. Matt Strahm is an excellent setup option from the left side. They’re light on right-handed options to bridge the gap to Romano, as Orion Kerkering remains inconsistent because of scattershot command.