Apr 14, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Dennis Santana (60) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire
The Phillies won their first six games after José Alvarado was suspended for 80 games (and made ineligible for the postseason) because of a failed PED test.
Still, it was pretty clear this past weekend in Sacramento that the Phillies have some major needs to address in the bullpen. Even among their three most-trusted relievers right now — Jordan Romano, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering — there are questions.
Romano had been one of baseball's best relievers in the month of May following a nightmarish start to his tenure in Philadelphia. But Romano gave up three runs in the ninth inning of Friday evening's win over the Athletics, with Tanner Banks ultimately having to come in to finish off the game.
Strahm was charged with a blown save and a loss in Sunday's game, as he gave up two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, with the A's erasing a 4-3 Phillies lead. Strahm — who dealt with a shoulder injury during Spring Training — saw his velocity dip as low as 91.9 mph Sunday, a reminder that the Phillies have to be careful not to overuse him.
Kerkering delivered a key inning of relief in Saturday's extra-inning win over the A's, and has a 1.13 ERA in May. But he's still digging out of a hole from the 6.52 ERA he posted in April.
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So there have been some blips on the radar even with the three names you trust most in Rob Thomson's bullpen, another reminder with how much of a bind Alvarado put the Phillies in with his failed PED test.
Bringing back David Robertson for a third stint with the Phillies and/or converting some of the surplus of starting pitching in the organization to relievers has been discussed by fans and media, but ultimately president of baseball operations is going to have to make at least one addition to the bullpen before the July 31 trade deadline.
As we prepare for trade SZN to begin in earnest, here are seven names to keep in mind as possible solutions in the bullpen for the Phillies.
Bautista didn't debut until his age-27 season, but between 2022 and 2023, he posted a 1.85 ERA across 121 appearances for the Orioles. In the latter of those seasons, he won the Mariano Rivera Award as the American League's best relief pitching.
However, Bautista missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and has a 3.78 ERA in 17 games this season for the O's. So far in 2025, he's pitched on back-to-back days just once.
This isn't to say that the Phillies shouldn't make a push for Bautista if the shockingly-bad Orioles do sell. But Bautista has two remaining arbitration years after 2025 until free agency, so general manager Mike Elias will likely want a bounty for him. Right now, Bautista isn't pitching like someone worthy of giving up a major package of prospects for.
The Phillies saw Miller three times in as many games this past weekend, and he gave up four runs over that trio of appearances. Even with a save Sunday, Miller's ERA has spiked to 5.79 this year, a far cry from the dominance he pitched with last year in his rookie campaign.
There's no doubt that Miller is electric, as his fastball average 100.8 mph. He's also making just $765,000 this year, with three arbitration years to go after 2025 before free agency. If there was ever a reliever worth backing the truck up for, it would be Miller if he's able to get back on track.
However, the Phillies have been hesitant to make long-term commitments to relief pitchers under Dombrowski. That makes you wonder if they would make a franchise-altering trade for someone like Miller, whose elbow might be a ticking time bomb considering how hard he throws.
Fairbanks did blow a save against the Phillies on May 8, but has largely been excellent this season for the Rays.
In 23 games, he's posted a 2.05 ERA and recorded 10 saves. The 31-year-old is making $3.817 million this year, and his contract includes an affordable $7 million club option for 2026. So if you traded for Fairbanks, you would be getting him for multiple postseason runs.
The problem right now is that the Rays are 26-26, which puts them in second place in the AL East and within striking distance of a Wild Card spot. With a schedule that features an insane amount of road games in July and August, there's a good chance the Rays will fade at some point. The question is whether they would be willing to trade Fairbanks before July 31 if they are still in the postseason mix.
Rogers was a teammate of his submarine-throwing brother, Tyler, for two seasons with the San Francisco Giants before getting traded to the Reds back in January.
He's probably the lesser of the two brothers, but he would give the Phillies another lefty to replace Alvarado, and has a pretty good resume himself. Rogers was an All-Star with the Minnesota Twins in 2021, and has a 2.51 ERA across 87 games since the start of the 2024 season. It it worth nothing, though, that his 3.79 FIP over that same stretch suggests he's been a bit lucky.
Still, the 34-year-old is someone worth considering, particularly if the Phillies decide they need to make multiple external additions this summer and don't want to break the bank on any one trade.
Ryan Helsley is in a contract year. (Brad Mills/Imagn Images)Helsley is already someone we've discussed quite a bit, as USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported in April that the Phillies were "keeping a close eye on" the two-time All-Star.
Helsley posted a minuscule 1.83 ERA between 2022 and 2024, winning the Trevor Hoffman Award a season ago as the best reliever in the National League. In theory, he would be about as exciting of an addition as anyone on this list, and wouldn't cost as much as Bautista or Miller consider he would be a rental.
But while the Cardinals entered the season with more of a focus on 2026 than 2025, they are currently 30-23. They are tied for the final Wild Card spot and within striking distance of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. If they don't fade, they won't be sellers.
Even if the Cardinals do sell, it will be interesting to see how they handle Helsley. One would have thought they would have looked to sell high on him last offseason considering they were taking more of a long-term approach and there's a year-to-year volatility with relief pitchers. But the 30-year-old was never seriously mentioned as a trade candidate, so perhaps the Cardinals are hopeful to retain him beyond 2025.
It may be that Santana is the most realistic name on this list.
While the Pirates aren't going to trade Paul Skenes this summer, they are an unmitigated disaster in 2025. So they'll probably be less sentimental about the other pieces on their roster who draw trade interest.
Santana was a journeyman that had a 6.26 ERA when the New York Yankees designated him for assignment last June. However, since being claimed off of waivers by the Pirates, Santana has a 2.16 ERA over 62 games for the Buccos. What's also intriguing about the 29-year-old is that he has another remaining year of arbitration eligibility for 2026, so you would be getting him for two pennant runs.
Santana does have five saves this year, but only nine in his career. If you're looking for a lights-out closer, he doesn't necessarily have that track record. But if the Phillies feel comfortable with Romano getting a bulk of the ninth-inning opportunities, Santana could be a good fit as a set-up man.
The Phillies have seen quite a bit of Finnegan, who has spent all six years of his career with the division-rival Nationals. They — and 29 other teams — could have had him last offseason when the Nationals non-tendered him, but Finnegan wound up returning to D.C. on a $5.38 million deal for 2025.
He didn't get off to a great start against the Phillies on Opening Day, walking two and allowing a hit in his first outing of the season. But he's posted a 2.41 ERA and recorded 15 saves so far this season, so he's definitely someone you have to consider.
Given how familiar Phillies fans are with some of Finnegan's struggles — he has a 5.81 career ERA against them — he probably wouldn't be an addition that would excite the fanbase.
