The Phillies need another arm in the bullpen. This ranges from the superfluous shutdown closer to just another reliable arm (preferably a lefty). The Phillies should be looking at both ends here to improve the pen. While Jhoan Duran has been fantastic, after him things get sketchy especially with Brad Keller not coming back. Not helping this situation are the resurgent Red Sox who will no longer be selling this summer. Here are the options in order of how much they will likely cost, lowest to highest:
Trade Package Key: Low = 1 Top 10 system prospect or less; Medium = 2-3 Top 10 system prospects but no Top 100 overall; High = At least 1 Top 100 overall prospect
- Matt Strahm (L)
- Team: Royals
- Contract: 1/$7.5m
- Trade Package: Very Low
- Summary: Strahm’s numbers have been awful since leaving Philadelphia, but he wouldn’t be the worst addition as a lefty specialist out of the pen since almost all of the damage against him as been done by righties. The Royals would probably be happy to eat most of his salary considering he is a release candidate otherwise
- Drew Anderson (R)
- Team: Tigers
- Contract: 1/$7m with a team option
- Trade Package: Low
- Summary: Anderson actually played with the Phillies before moving to Japan and Korea the last 4 years. His contract is a little big for his 4+ ERA production and too many HRs, but he has struck out 71 hitters in just 57 innings with good underlying metrics. He is more of a bulk reliever than anything.
- Jose Suarez (L)
- Team: Athletics
- Contract: Minimum, one more year of control
- Trade Package: Low
- Summary: Suarez was a journeyman who has found out how to get outs for the A’s this season. While his 3.50 ERA is fine and none of his numbers standout, he actually excels at not allowing hard contact. Would be a competent arm to bring out of the pen in middle relief.
- JoJo Romero (L)
- Team: Cardinals
- Contract: 1/$4.25m
- Trade Package: Low
- Summary: Our old friend JoJo is in the last year of control for the fading Cardinals who are still looking to collect as much talent as they can. Romero, with his 4 solid years of performance, is a lock to be traded. He is currently on the IL with an appendicitis, so we will have to see how that affects his price tag
- Caleb Ferguson (L)
- Team: Reds
- Contract: 1/$4.5m
- Trade Package: Low
- Summary: Ferguson is a fine, nothing special, lefty reliever on a good but not exceptional contract. For a team dying like the Reds, they have to move him to the highest bidder. His high level of groundballs is something that should have teams like the Phillies interested
- Antonio Senzatela (R)
- Team: Rockies
- Contract: 1/$10m with a $14m team option
- Trade Package: Low
- Summary: Senzatela is having his first good year since signing his big 5-year contract 5 years ago. That also corresponds with him moving to the bullpen full time where his stuff has played up. He started the year as a multiple inning guy but has since settled into more of a late game role though he does have 4 blown saves in just 7 chances. Most importantly is that in 50 innings he has only given up 4 HRs (only 2 at Coors Field).
- Kirby Yates (R)
- Team: Angels
- Contract: 1/$5m
- Trade Package: Low
- Summary: Everyone rolls the dice for Kirby Yates at some point because he gets big strike out totals but then he falls off a cliff. So far this season, his ERA is in the 3s but he is still striking everyone out and has only allowed 2 HRs. Still, he’s tough to trust.
- Tyler Wells (R)
- Team: Orioles
- Contract: $2.45m, 1 year of control left
- Trade Package: Low-Med
- Summary: Wells is another older Oriole at 31 and his having a solid season with a 3 ERA, solid strikeouts, and low WHIP. He’s exactly the type of player that should be moved from a younger underachieving team. He gets very high marks from Baseball Savant
- Sam Hentges (L)
- Team: Giants
- Contract: $1.4m with 1 more year of control
- Trade Package: Low-Med
- Summary: Hentges is an enigma on the mound. First, he’s enormous at 6’8″ and 255 pounds…but he doesn’t have great velocity (low 90s). His ERA is great at 1.80, but his WHIP is almost just as high due to walks (16 in 20 innings). He has not allowed a HR yet though and his contract is minimal.
- Wandy Peralta (L)
- Team: Padres
- Contract: 1/$4.45m plus a player option for 2027 at the same price
- Trade Package: Low-Med
- Summary: Because of the weird contract and solid performance if he ends up opting into his contract, something went very wrong. That means he is at best a rental. His 2.45 ERA as a lefty is great, but his low strikeouts and high walks might be a tough sell. The less you can get the ball in play with the Phillies’ defense behind you the better.
- Jason Adam (R)
- Team: Padres
- Contract: 1/$6.675m
- Trade Package: Low-Med
- Summary: Because the Padres have had a slew of great relievers the last few years, no one even thinks of Adam who has managed a 1.88 ERA in 128 appearances over the last 3 seasons. For that reason though, he doesn’t get the high leverage assignments. That being said, his Ks and velocity are down this year even if the ERA is still very pretty.
- Rico Garcia (R)
- Team: Orioles
- Contract: $900k (Pre-Arb), 4 years of control left
- Trade Package: Medium
- Summary: Wait, why would a guy on a cheap contract with 4 years of control left and a sub-3 ERA only be a medium cost? Because Garcia is 32, 5’9″, and bounced around to 3 different teams last year. Since getting to Baltimore, he has been great though with a WHIP under .900 this season
- Tyler Rogers (R)
- Team: Royals
- Contract: $7m cash this year, 2/$24m remaining
- Trade Package: Medium
- Summary: Rogers has been exceptional for the Blue Jays this year as a 35 year old side armer. That contract is rough though. Instead of being a great player on a great contract, he’s a great player on an appropriate contract which lowers his value some. However, since he had a signing bonus, the actual cash payout this year for an acquiring team would only be around $2.5m. Next year is when he gets expensive. He’s more on teams’ radar than you’d think.
- Brooks Raley (L)
- Team: Mets
- Contract: 1/$4.4m
- Trade Package: Medium
- Summary: Raley is going on 5 years of dominant relief work at this point with 2026 possibly being his best year. He is a pure rental though albeit with a good contract and as a lefty. The Mets simply must trade him.
- A.J. Minter (L)
- Team: Mets
- Contract: 1/$11m
- Trade Package: Medium
- Summary: Minter is finally back as the as-advertised weapon NY thought they bought from Atlanta 2 year ago, allowing barely anything from either side (but especially nothing to lefties). The problem is that they don’t need him this season. The $11m tag is high, but the Mets will gladly eat that for a better prospect return.
- Steven Okert (L)
- Team: Astros
- Contract: 1/$2.3m
- Trade Package: Medium
- Summary: Okert has been filthy this year. His low salary, great results, lefty profile should make him a must sell at the deadline. The only thing keeping his value down is his relatively brief history of great performance. Still, he is an ideal target for teams that already have an elite closer and need lefty help at the back end (cough – Phillies – cough)
- Adrian Morejon (L)
- Team: Padres
- Contract: 1/$3.9m
- Trade Package: Med-High
- Summary: The Padres other ace reliever is having a down year statistically, even if all his pitching stats tend to show a closer in waiting. If anything, San Diego is simply misusing him with multiple inning outings. You know he would like to get himself in a playoff race in order to show his value right before free agency. He will cost a lot for a rental, but will still be priced to sell.
- Josh Hader (L)
- Team: Astros
- Contract: 3/$57m
- Trade Package: Medium-High
- Summary: Hader got a late start on the season but has been stellar since with everything being where you’d expect it: 1.47 ERA with 29 Ks in 18 innings. That contract though. He is worth the money as a high end reliever, but many teams either aren’t going to want to pay that much for a reliever or can’t because it would cost too much in tax. If the Astros are going to want to get off his deal, they may have to take less in terms of contracts or eat some salary. He is a big difference maker though, especially as a lefty
- Luke Weaver (R)
- Team: Mets
- Contract: 2/$11m
- Trade Package: High
- Summary: Weaver has been absolutely dominant and could end up playing a big roll this season depending on whether he is moved. He has a long track record of performance, is on a good contract, and has an extra year of control. Considering the Mets hope to bounce back next year, they should only move him if the price is high enough.
- Mason Miller (R)
- Team: Padres
- Contract: $4m plus 3 more years of control
- Trade Package: Extremely High
- Summary: Miller is very simply the best reliever in baseball. The Padres paid a high price for him last year by sending the #3 prospect in baseball, Leo De Vries, to the A’s. Since they do not have to move him, they can hold out for someone offering EVERYTHING. Considering the Padres aren’t in the bidding obviously, I don’t know if anyone will hit that price.
Not on the List:
- Kyle Finnegan (R) and Kenley Jansen (R)
- Team: Tigers
- Contract: 2/$19m and 1/$11m
- Trade Package: Too Much
- Summary: I am including them only because their names will be bandied about at the deadline. They are both having bad years but with better than expected ERAs. Don’t be fooled. This is the same Kyle Finnegan we destroyed in Washington and the same Kenley Jansen who has been around for a million years. They are too expensive and not good enough.
Contract Info: Spotrac
Photo: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Philly Front Office 
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