Philadelphia Phillies closer Jose Alvarado was recently suspended, and he will miss 80 games. That puts the team into a bit of a sticky situation now as they look to find a replacement. There could be a player that is already in the system that is ready for a bigger role, but a lot of people are expecting the Phillies to go out and bring somebody in.“I think they’ll make a move to replace [Alvarado],” an NL executive said, according to a report from Mark Feinsand. “It might be more depth-related than actually finding a bona fide closer, but they’ll add to the back end somehow.”
One player to watch is reportedly Texas Rangers’ free agent David Robertson. The Phillies apparently reached out to him before the Jose Alvarado suspension went public.
“Prior to the announcement of Alvarado’s suspension, a source said the Phillies reached out to free agent David Robertson, easily the best reliever left on the open market,” the report states. “No serious talks took place, the source said, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Phillies considered a reunion with the 40-year-old, who has had two previous stints in Philadelphia.”
David Robertson is a player to watch here, but he isn’t the only one. Another guy to pay attention to is Miami Marlins’ Anthony Bender.
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“The Marlins’ Anthony Bender has a 1.89 ERA in 19 appearances this season, is earning $1.42 million this season and has two years of control remaining beyond 2025,” Feinsand wrote. “Miami president of baseball operations Peter Bendix dealt Luis Arraez in early-May last year, so he’s shown a willingness to move players earlier than most clubs might consider.”
There are a good amount of players that the Phillies could go after to fill their current void, but a particularly intriguing one is Pittsburgh Pirates’ Dennis Santana.
“Pittsburgh’s Dennis Santana (1.96 ERA, 4 saves in 19 appearances) falls into the same category, with a $1.4 million salary and two years of arbitration remaining until free agency,” Feinsand said. “Bryan Baker of the Orioles is having a strong season (2.37 ERA, 25 strikeouts in 19 innings) and could be a sell-high candidate for Baltimore, which has three years of club control left for the right-hander.”
As you can see, there are a few good options out there for the Phillies right now. This is a team with high expectations, and they are off to a good start this season. The Jose Alvarado suspension certainly throws a wrench in their plans, and now they need to go out and fix it.
