Phillies’ 4 best reliever trade deadline targets ranked by cost

The Philadelphia Phillies received devastating news in mid-May as Jose Alvarado, the team's closer, was given an 80-game suspension for PED use. The team has been able to tread water without him, but with that 80-game suspension comes a postseason ban as well. If the Phillies make it, Alvarado won't be able to participate. With that in mind, it'd behoove Dave Dombrowski to add a high-end reliever before the trade deadline. Fortunately, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal believes they'll do that based on what he said on the Foul Territory podcast.

"I expect they're going to be active for multiple relievers, and they need a big one. There's no question about that. Alvarado's coming back in August, but he's not going to be eligible for the postseason after getting a PED suspension. They're a team that would be in the mix for all of those controllable relievers in the AL Central we were talking about - [Emmanuel] Clase, and [Griffin] Jax, and [Jhoan] Duran, David Bednar would be another possibility for them. Any reliever out there is somebody they're going to look at."

Rosenthal listed four impactful relievers that the Phillies will likely be interested in acquiring. All four of them would be great additions, obviously, but some, especially when factoring what it'd take to acquire them, fit in better than others.

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4) Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians

It might be strange to have arguably the best reliever in baseball ranked fourth out of the four relievers on this list, but again, the order is cost-dependent. Clase is going to cost the Phillies the most in return, and I'd argue by a substantial amount. With the team needing to, in an ideal world, add at least another reliever and a big bat in addition to a lockdown closer, it makes sense for the team to not go out of its way for Clase when there are other impactful arms out there.

The reason why I believe it'd cost by far the most to get Clase compared to the other relievers on this list goes beyond his ability. Not only is Clase under contract next season for just $6.4 million, but he has a pair of $10 million club options in the two years after. That's three years of team-friendly club control for the best closer in baseball.

Again, it wouldn't be a bad thing for the Phillies to get Clase, but considering cost, it makes sense for them to go in another direction.

3) Griffin Jax, Minnesota Twins

Griffin Jax might be relatively unknown when compared to the other relievers on this list, but he shouldn't be. Jax has been one of the premier set-up men in the game for a couple of years now, and while his 3.96 ERA this season might not be too enticing, that can largely be attributed to a rough April.

Since May 1, Jax has a 2.45 ERA and a 1.62 FIP in 31 appearances. He's struck out 49 batters in 29.1 innings of work while issuing just seven walks. He was one of the best relievers in the sport last season and has been just as good, if not better, of late. He's had a couple of bad outings, as every reliever does, but for the most part,

Since Jax isn't a closer, he might be the cheapest of the group to acquire, and the Phillies would be getting an additional two years of cheap club control. How he'd fare in the closer role is a bit unknown, and that's why he isn't higher on this list, but he'd still be a great get.

2) David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates

David Bednar has gone from a guy who looked like he was on DFA watch to begin the year to pitching as well as he ever has. Since his recall from Triple-A in mid-April, Bednar has a 1.74 ERA and a 1.44 FIP in 33 appearances, and he's struck out 44 batters in 31 innings of work. Bednar also has been a fixture in the closer role, and he's converted 12 saves without blowing a single opportunity since his recall.

The one downside to Bednar is that he's only under control through the 2026 campaign, while the other relievers on this list have at least two additional years of club control after this one. It might be unfortunate that Bednar can get to free agency a year earlier, but that will impact his cost. He should be cheaper than most, if not all of the others, making it easier for the Phillies to check off other deadline boxes.

1) Jhoan Duran, Minnesota Twins

Jhoan Duran might not be quite as good as Clase, but he's awfully close. This season, he's posted a 1.66 ERA in 44 appearances and 43.1 innings of work for the Minnesota Twins, and he's converted 15 of his 17 save opportunities. Duran has been a dominant reliever throughout his four-year career, but he's never been better than he's been this season.

I personally believe Duran is on Clase's level, and while he might not have the third year of club control that Clase has, the cost of acquiring Duran will be cheaper because of that. Again, the Phillies have multiple needs to address.

Trading for Duran gives them the elite closer they need while also saving much-needed assets to make other big moves. Hopefully, assuming the Twins are willing to trade him, this is the direction Dave Dombrowski goes in at the deadline.