Insider proposes Phillies target this top AL East reliever to fix struggling bullpen
For the Philadelphia Phillies to make a deep postseason run, they must revamp their beleaguered bullpen after losing top reliever Jose Alvarado to an 80-game PED suspension. An MLB insider believes the Phillies must trade for this right-handed arm from an American League East team.
The Phillies have one of the worst bullpens in baseball. They rank 17th in hits allowed (200), 23rd in WHIP (1.42), 25th in ERA (4.65), and 26th in batting average allowed (.264).
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They replaced two high-leverage relievers in Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez with Jordan Romano, who has a 7.36 ERA and 1.591 WHIP. But his ERA has been more than cut in half since it was 15.26 following a six-run implosion in two-thirds of an inning against the Miami Marlins on April 19.
With the Phillies trying to navigate their bullpen issues, ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan believes the Phillies should target Tampa Bay Rays reliever Pete Fairbanks at the trade deadline.
'The Phillies' bullpen has been one of the worst in baseball. Even if it was much better in May, their only reliever with a sub-3.00 ERA was Orion Kerkering. And with Jose Alvarado down for 80 games and out for the postseason following a PED suspension, the need for help is that much more grave,' Passan writes.
He continued: 'Philadelphia's bullpen torpedoed its playoff run last year. And with Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman missing, the onus is on president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to find enough arms that can generate swing-and-miss against the gauntlet that is the NL.'
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Fairbanks has a 2.05 ERA and 194 ERA+ across 23 appearances, but he does walk 4.9 batters per nine and has a 1.227 WHIP. His fastball velocity averages 97.1 mph, placing him in the 91st percentile, but his strikeout rate sits at just 23.4%, placing him in the 57th percentile around league average.
If the Phillies do make it to the postseason, they also have in-house candidates for the bullpen like starters Ranger Suarez, Andrew Painter and Mick Abel. Suarez has pitched in high-leverage situations before as a reliever and Painter and Abel can throw gas.
Fairbanks would help the Phillies get through the regular season before October rolls around, but they could still use another arm or two.
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