Friday, November 6, 2026
63 ° Light Rain
63 ° Light Rain
As a unit, the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen struggled significantly over the 2026 season.
The group performed below league average and created a sense of mistrust for manager Don Mattingly. If it had not been for the success of Jhoan Duran, who was nominated as a finalist for the Trevor Hoffman award, the bullpen truly could have been the worst in baseball.
Mattingly was so unimpressed by his collection of relievers that he opted to overuse his high-leverage arms in key situations. As we saw in the postseason, that contributed to the club’s early exit.
With the offseason comes opportunity and President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski will have the opportunity to try and rebuild this unit.
The following is the current group of relievers that the Phillies will carry into the 2027 season.
In their first move to retool the bullpen, the Phillies brought back Tim Mayza on a one-year contract extension. Mayza performed well for the Phillies, going 3-4 with a 3.48 earned run average in 67.1 innings pitched.
As expected, Duran, Jonathan Bowlan and Alex McFarlane will all return next season to reinforce the right-handed side of the mound.
Spots currently held by Caleb Killian, Orion Kerkering, Tanner Banks and Chase Shugart should be up for grabs as the Phillies navigate the offseason.
Luckily for the Phillies, there is an abundance of options on the market with the offseason officially open.
These options are going to range anywhere from $10-20 million in average annual value. After recent seasons of the Phillies trying out the lower end of the spectrum, it may benefit them to take a leap and pay market price for a top reliever.
The player you would pay this offseason would be former San Diego Padres reliever, Adrian Morejon.
Morejon was the number two in San Diego, joining forces with Mason Miller to form an elite duo in the Padres' bullpen. In 76 games, he tossed 86 innings, striking out 107 batters. Morejon went 9-3 with a 2.83 ERA and notched three saves.
The lefty is a flamethrower, averaging 99 miles per hour on both his four-seam fastball and sinker. He has a four pitch mix, including a changeup and slider.
He was a key contributor to the best bullpen in baseball last season.
Pairing Morejon with Duran would then give the Phillies the best 1-2 punch in baseball. Pairing these two with young arm Alex McFarlane, and the Phillies could flip the script on their bullpen woes with the potential of an all-time set-up situation.
Once a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, JoJo Romero has developed a nice career since being traded for Edmundo Sosa in 2022.
Romero was a solid member of the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen for each of the last few seasons. The left-hander was dealt from St. Louis to Milwaukee at the trade deadline, helping the Brewers to their first World Series championship.
Now a free agent, a reunion with Romero could benefit both sides.
In 55 games last season, Romero pitched to a 3.36 earned run average in 56.1 innings of work. He struck out 54 batters, walking 18.
While some of his metrics shown a slight decline, relievers are often difficult to project one season to the next. Returning to the Phillies after spending time in Milwaukee could reshape his four pitch mix that is highlighted by his sinker.
Romero would but an upgrade over Mayza and Banks in terms of lefties on the roster, but his potential addition should not prevent Philly from continuing to add relievers to their depth chart.
He would cost more around the $8-10 million range in AAV.
Coming off several deep postseason runs with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Alex Vesia could be another solid addition to the Phillies' relief core.
Vesia does not throw hard, but his results pop off the page. In 72 games last season with the Dodgers, he pitched to a 2.64 earned run average, earning a 3-1 record in 58 innings.
The veteran has pitched in the postseason in six straight seasons. His career playoff earned run average is 1.59. After years of playoff failures in the Phillies' bullpen, Vesia's playoff resume would be a welcomed change.
He promotes a three pitch mix consisting of a four-seam fastball, changeup and slider. His command with the fastball is top of the line quality, showing that command can still be more effective than velocity.
Vesia's price tag likely lands in between Morejon and Romero, but still at a value comfortable for the Phillies' brass.
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