Phillies’ Bullpen Options And Outlook After Jose Alvarado’s Suspension
Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado pitches in Game 5 of the World Series against the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, Nov. 4, in Philadelphia. (Credit: Heather Khalifa / The Philadelphia Inquirer)
The already thin Phillies’ bullpen has gotten even thinner.
After testing positive for exogenous Testosterone, a PED, Phillies’ closer and top left-handed pitcher Jose Alvarado has received an 80-game suspension from Major League Baseball. On top of missing half of the 2025 season, he will also be ineligible for the postseason if the Phillies make it.
This is a terrible situation for Philadelphia, who now two months into the season and will no longer have their top bullpen arm until late August. The bullpen is already a weak point for the Phillies, so losing your most reliable arm is not an ideal situation.
On top of not having Alvarado until the final six weeks of the season, even when he returns, it will be a tough situation for Rob Thomson and company.
When Alvarado returns, what kind of situations are you willing to put Alvarado in? At that point in the season, the Phillies will need guys who will be ready to roll into the fall and be ready for the playoffs. While Alvarado won’t be fully cut off from closing games and pitching in big spots, you need to give most of those opportunities to the guys who will be needed in those big spots in October.
So, what do the Phillies do to rectify this situation? Here are a few options and players that fans should start to keep an eye on, that could be real difference makers for a Phillies bullpen that needs some help.
In House: Jordan Romano, Matt Strahm, Mick Abel, and More
The Phillies already have some players on their roster who will now have to step up even more if they want any chance of getting back to the postseason.
Romano is one of them, who was signed to basically a one-year prove-it deal after dealing with injuries and poor pitching the last few seasons. His first month with the Phillies didn’t start great, as he almost blew a seven-run lead in the ninth inning against the Marlins back in late April. But since then, Romano has been outstanding, tossing 9.2 innings, allowing just five hits, one run, and two walks, and has also struck out 13 batters, including striking out the side to end Sunday’s 1-0 win.
At his best, he’s an all-star caliber closer, and with the hands the Phillies have been drawing lately, they need Romano’s best.
Another guy that they need their best from is Strahm. Strahm has quickly become the Phillies’ best left-handed non-starter, and now he will be the guy needed in any high-leverage situations that Alvarado once had to fill.
Strahm has been great for the Phillies in the past, earning an All-Star nod last season, but 2025 has been good, not great, from the 33-year-old. The Phillies need great now, and they need it quickly.
I’d be remiss not to mention Abel, who tossed an unbelievable six-inning, nine-strikeout debut in Sunday’s 1-0 win over the Pirates. He tied a Phillies franchise record for most strikeouts in a major league debut. While a starting spot seems out of the question at the time being, despite the injury of Aaron Nola popping up, Abel could be a valuable bullpen arm for the rest of the season. His dynamic fastball and curveball combo could make him dangerous come October.
The rest of the bullpen, guys like Tanner Banks, Joe Ross, Jose Ruiz, Orion Kerkering, and Carlos Hernandez, will also have to step up. However, the Phillies will likely look for depth arms from outside teams via trades, and with the sudden suspension of Alvarado, Dave Dombrowski and co. could be even more aggressive in the trade market now.
Realistic Shots: Pete Fairbanks, Jake Bird, Trevor Megill, Emilio Pagan
It feels like Fairbanks has been in Phillies trade rumors for years. He has been the definition of consistency for the Tampa Bay Rays, posting back-to-back 20+ save seasons in 2023 and 2024. Since joining the Rays in 2019, Fairbanks has posted a sub-three ERA in three of his five full seasons with the team and currently has a 2.50 ERA. He would be the perfect setup/possible closer for this Phillies bullpen and is on a relatively cheap contract with control, so the price shouldn’t cost a ton.
Bird is interesting as he’s one of the few bright spots on the Rockies this season, posting a 1.98 ERA and striking out 35, but he has history with the Phillies. Bird was the one who started a scuffle with Bryce Harper a few seasons ago after he struck him out. If Harper and Bird can squash whatever beef they have, Bird would be an excellent addition to the Phillies, with 3.5 years of control left.
The Brewers are in a weird situation. They won the NL Central last season, but wildly overachieved last year, and now sit three games back of .500. They seem to never want to commit to a rebuild, but have been known to trade players for value, and they have that in Megill. With Devin Williams gone, Megill has become their closer and has done a decent job, posting a 2.92 ERA over 12.1 innings and has saved five games.
Someone who likely will be on the move this year is Pagan. Pagan is a free agent after this year, and while the Reds have surely enjoyed him taking over for Alexis Diaz, a 34-year-old right-hander won’t get them closer to a championship. He won’t cost a ton and could be a potential closer option.
Worth a Call, but Likely Dealt Later: Dennis Santana, Yennier Cano, Felix Bautista
The Pirates are not good. While Paul Skenes isn’t likely to be dealt, their bullpen arms are. Santana is one of those guys. While the Phillies didn’t see him this past series, Santana has been fantastic, posting a 1.96 ERA for Pittsburgh since David Bednar has been moved out of the closer role. He has 1.5 years left of control before free agency, but will likely not be dealt until closer to the deadline.
These next two guys may be in the weirdest situations in baseball. The Baltimore Orioles are not good. They have no starting pitching, the bats suck, and the bullpen has been ok. So if they continue to lose, then their top bullpen arms may become available. Bautista and Cano are the best they have to offer.
Bautista is coming off Tommy John Surgery but has looked good, posting a 2.77 ERA in 13 games, while Cano has struggled to start this year, with a 4.80 ERA, but is a former All-Star. Both players will likely not be moved until July as the O’s still want to try and win, but as the season continues, if Baltimore doesn’t start winning, these guys may be on the move.
On The Cheaper Side: David Bednar, Kyle Finnegan, Kenley Jansen
Speaking of Bednar, I’m sure Pittsburgh would love to finally get something out of him after not trading him at his peak value. These past two seasons haven’t been great for the right-handed since getting named to back-to-back All-Star teams. He was sent down to the Minors this season and currently sits at a 4.97 ERA. Lucky for the Phillies, he’ll be cheap, and Caleb Cotham could work his magic to get him back to his star self.
Getting a guy like Finnegan will be a little hard for the Phillies, due to him playing for a rival team. The Nationals will likely add an in-division tax for a guy like Finnesgan, but it shouldn’t be much more than what others will pay. Being in a contract year, the Nationals are almost guaranteed to trade him, as they didn’t sign him until right before the season started. A former All-Star, with a 2.70 ERA, and has save experience. Sign me up.
Jansen will likely be on the move at some point this season, as the Angels are going nowhere this postseason. A 5.60 ERA is not good, but his 455 saves are nice to have. He’d be a very cheap option, but not one where you really feel like you made a splash. I’d have to imagine this is more a bulk up trade than the main guy you go after, but definitely an option.
Unrealistic, Needs To Give Up a Haul: Mason Miller, Emmanuel Clase
These last two guys, you have to at least entertain the conversation. Out of both of them, Miller is the more likely one to get moved, but it’s very unlikely. The A’s will ask for one of our top prospects, likely Aidan Miller or Justin Crawford, and others as well. If the Phillies feel like they want to go all in, I could see them pull the trigger for Miller, but will the A’s do it? Only time will tell.
Clase is someone who is only in this conversation because of his recent struggles. He has not been the great player he’s been the last few years since the postseason last year, and now people think the Guardians may sell him high as they enter a mini-rebuild. I still find this unlikely, but if Clase’s name gets thrown out in the next few months, the Phillies will throw their hat into that race. However, it will still cost a good chunk of change to trade for him, and if they don’t see major improvements, he may not be worth the price.
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Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
