The Philadelphia Phillies are the hottest team in baseball, now tied for the best record in the National League and a half-game ahead of New York in an increasingly competitive NL East. Not much has gone wrong over the last couple weeks, except for that José Alvarado thing.
It an unexpected and sudden jolt of bad luck, Alvarado has been suspended for 80 games and ruled ineligible for the playoffs after testing positive for a PED, which he attributes to a weight loss drug. Alvarado has accepted the punishment and will serve out the duration of his suspension, which leaves Philadelphia shorthanded in the bullpen.
While there are several viable internal solutions, the Phillies will inevitably need to consider outside additions in order to bolster depth and ensure that this does not undermine their pursuit of a World Series. According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, Dave Dombrowski and the front office have already reached out to one potential free agent.
"Prior to the announcement of Alvarado’s suspension, a source said the Phillies reached out to free agent David Robertson, easily the best reliever left on the open market," Feinsand writes. "No serious talks took place, the source said, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Phillies considered a reunion with the 40-year-old, who has had two previous stints in Philadelphia."
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Phillies called up David Robertson before MLB dropped hammer on José Alvarado
This feels like a natural pivot for Philadelphia. Robertson, 40, obviously has a lot of miles under his belt, but he was still performing in a burdensome role last season. He made 68 appearances for the Texas Rangers, racking up 99 strikeouts in 72.0 innings with a 3.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. He was in the 76th percentile for whiff rate and the 96th percentile for strikeouts — not bad.
That Robertson has prior experiences in Philadelphia is the cherry on top. There is always risk when investing in a pitcher with 16 MLB seasons under his belt — just look at what's happening with Charlie Morton in Baltimore — but Thompson has maintained excellent production throughout virtually his entire career. There aren't too many holes in his resume, and it's a bit shocking he's even available this late into the season.
On the other hand, Phillies fans probably want a more ambitious solution. There is always a trade market for high-leverage relievers, especially those stuck in losing situations. Feinsand points to options like Jake Bird in Colorado or David Bednar in Pittsburgh. If the Phillies can cough up a few mid-tier prospects, there will be impact relievers available to them.
What feels like the most probable solution, however, is an internal replacement. The Phillies are loaded with starters — six quality, experienced MLB arms on the current roster, with top prospects Mick Abel and Andrew Painter beelining through the farm system. Abel just threw six scoreless innings in his debut. Both him and Painter, while better cast as starters in the long run, have stuff that ought to play extremely well in limited doses out of the 'pen.
Whether the Phillies want to demote a current starter (Ranger Suárez's name keeps popping up), lean heavily on Taijuan Walker (who, to be fair, looks like he can handle it based on his current bullpen numbers this season), or turn to one of their top prospects for a brief foray into late-relief work, the options are plentiful. And none would involve sacrificing assets or burning finances on a free agent.