The State of the Phillies Final Bullpen Spot Battle

When Spring Training began, several roster battles were going to take place throughout the spring: Rafael Marchan vs. Garrett Stubbs for backup catcher, the multitude of players that make up the fight for the final outfield bench bat spot, among several others. The battle being looked at here is the last of the two bullpen spots that have been going on.

While Dave Dombrowski did not have his best offseason, and rightfully received criticism for it, there was one thing that he did very well, and that was bringing in a lot of low-level relievers with experience or untapped potential to complete the bullpen, fill out the Minor League bullpens, and come up for emergency work in the majors. One of those players that Dombrowski brought in is Johnathan Bowlan, who came in from the Matt Strahm trade. While he has not had an amazing Spring as a whole, he has struck out 7 batters in his 5 appearances, and generally seems to be penciled into one of the two bullpen openings. This leaves one still open, with multiple relievers having made an argument for this spot.

Who could take that spot?

Kyle Backhus

The 28-year-old lefty came over this off-season in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He debuted last year as a funky delivery style pitcher and ended last season with a mid-4 ERA in the Majors. Dombrowski and the Phillies liked what they saw and brought him in, and he quickly made his mark.

In live batting practice, several Phillies hitters were stunned and impressed by Backhus and his delivery, and he’s taken that impressive introduction into the spring games. Through 5 appearances, he’s pitched to a 0.00 ERA, 6 strikeouts, and a 0.80 WHIP. He has all 3 Minor league options left, so he can easily be sent down if that is what the Phillies decide.

Zach McCambley

McCambley is a 27-year-old right-hander who came over from the Miami Marlins as a part of the Rule 5 draft. That right there shows the Phillies’ interest in him since the Rule 5 draft is not a well the organization typically goes to. That interest has paid off so far; in 8 appearances this spring, McCambley has pitched to a 1.23 ERA with 4 strikeouts.

The issues with him through spring are that he’s walked 6, and has a WHIP of 1.50, so he’s been limiting runs, but hasn’t made it easy for himself every time. Since McCambley was brought in through the Rule 5 draft, if he were not to make the team out of spring, he would have to be offered back to the Marlins organization.

Max Lazar

Lazar is the longest tenured Phillie out of the players here, debuting with the team in 2024, and spending a large chunk of time in the Major League bullpen last year. Outside of a few appearances, he served the team very well.

He has a more difficult road to get to the Majors out of spring due to the performances of both McCambley and Backhus. Through three appearances for Lazar this spring, he’s pitched to a 3.00 ERA (just 1 run allowed total), and has tacked on 2 strikeouts. However, he has 3 walks and a 2.00 WHIP. He’s not out of Minor League options, so he can be sent down without issues.

Chase Shugart

Shugart came over in a trade with the PA neighbors to the west, the Pittsburgh Pirates. He’s a 29-year-old righty who is coming off a successful season with Pittsburgh and is quietly making an argument to get the last bullpen opening. Through 7 appearances, he has a 3.38 ERA, 6 strikeouts, and a 1.38 WHIP while allowing 5 walks. A player who is in more of the Lazar situation, with a Minor League option left, and not one of the top performers in this group.

My Prediction

There are several other pitchers that can be talked about, but for a mixture of reasons, they have not made as good an argument to get the last bullpen spot as these 4 pitchers above have.

So out of the 4 here, I think the Phillies will be selecting Backhus for that last bullpen spot. Here is far and away performing the best out of all the pitchers fighting for that last bullpen spot, and as a funky left-hander, he fits better into the Major League bullpens set up compared to the other players.

While I personally would pick McCambley since he is having a stellar spring and cannot easily be sent down to the minors, Backhus has proven himself to be a solid piece to bring into this bullpen, and the potential to solidify himself as much more than the mop-up guy that most last pitchers in a bullpen are brought in as.

No matter what, the bullpen is in a much better position than last year, and players like the 4 named above will be major reasons why that’s the case throughout the season.

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