The Philadelphia Phillies entered the offseason without any glaring holes on their roster, as they look to be one of the best teams in baseball once again.
Alas, there was one need that did develop over time; the bullpen.
With Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez both free agents and moving on, the team lost two of their key contributors.
To this point, the only late-game addition made was Jordan Romano; Joe Ross is more of a swingman who can bounce between the rotation and long relief.
It certainly wouldn’t hurt to add another player to the mix with late-game experience even if they plan on including Orion Kerkering into the mix more.
Who could they look to target?
Here are four players the Phillies can pursue to bolster their bullpen after Estevez officially departed.
Kenley Jansen
Despite turning 37 years old in September, the veteran closer has shown very little signs of slowing down. He recorded 27 saves in 2024 and just two years ago led the National League with 41 as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
It is a bit of a surprise that he remains available at this point, especially with how many teams were in search of bullpen help. That likely means his price tag will have to come down soon, which is when Philadelphia can strike.
Jansen would be a nice addition to the mix to help replace the late-game experience that departed in free agency. Manager Rob Thomson doesn’t have traditional roles in his bullpen, something he may have to sell a veteran of Jansen’s caliber on after being a closer for the last 13 years.
David Robertson
If the goal is to bring on a bullpen arm who has experience working late in games but can thrive elsewhere, there aren’t many better options than Robertson.
Name a bullpen role and he has done it, excelling in them all. His age, as he will turn 40 years old in April, could be scaring off some teams.
But, he was excellent in 2024 with the Texas Rangers, recording a 1.7 WAR and 3.00 ERA across 72 innings with 99 strikeouts.
Some team is going to get incredible value landing Robertson, so why not the Phillies?
Hector Neris
This is someone the organization and fan base know well since Neris spent the first eight years of his professional career in Philadelphia. He was a closer for parts of it and had some very strong campaigns.
He has remained a consistent performer since, spending time with the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. Neris handled closer’s duties for some of 2024 with the Cubs before the team moved on from him as they shifted to a youth movement.
That late-game experience and knowing what it takes to handle being on the Phillies is something that could appeal to the franchise looking for affordable backend help at this stage of the offseason.
Adam Ottavino
After recording a 3.5 WAR in 2022 and 2023 with the New York Mets, the veteran righty experienced his fair share of struggles in 2024 when he had a 0.0 WAR.
He turned 39 years old in November, but he can still provide a team with solid innings. Baseball-Reference has projected him to pitch to a 3.81 ERA, a very solid number for a pitcher still available with just weeks until Spring Training.
With some late-game experience under his belt, Ottavino would provide the Phillies with some good insurance and a strong middle relief option who could operate in high-leverage situations when need be.
