4) The Phillies will regret not having a not adding one more high-leverage righty reliever
The Phillies carrying three lefty relievers on the Opening Day roster is a bit bold. Joining Alvarado and Soto is free agent Matt Strahm. In a time when the LOOGY has gone extinct, it’s far less necessary to have this many lefties on your roster. It’s not necessarily good or bad. The mistake the Phillies may have made is not adding one more high-leverage righty.
Seranthony Dominguez will have some help in the latter part of the game from veteran Craig Kimbrel. A bit of a wild card, the other right-handed reliever candidates for the Phillies include Andrew Bellatti, Connor Brogdon, Nick Nelson, and Noah Song. Song is a Rule 5 Draft pick while Bellatti, Brogdon, and Nelson are all a bit older and have minor league options. Upgrading one of those pitchers with a more proven veteran would have this team’s bullpen looking even better than it does already.
Philadelphia doesn’t have tremendous bullpen depth beyond their top options. Several of their offseason waiver claims or other more minor additions aren’t all that exciting. These are guys who will probably mop up a few innings. They’ll provide the team with relief when others land on the IL.
Matt Wisler who signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers would’ve been a nice fit for the Phillies. The same could be said for Michael Fulmer who ended up with a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. It wouldn’t have had to take a lot of money for the team to go from a promising bullpen to one we know Rob Thomson can rely on.