After a heartbreaking end to the 2023 season for the Philadelphia Phillies, they enter this offseason with a few question marks surrounding their team. For starters, the lack of starting pitching depth showed in the postseason, as the Phillies struggled to get more than 2 innings out of Cristopher Sánchez against the Diamondbacks. Furthermore, the bullpen was shaky, specifically at the back end with Craig Kimbrel. Finally, the lack of pinch hitting options off the bench really hurt them, as they were often forced to have an inexperienced Johan Rojas hit in big situations. In this blog, I provide 3 free agent solutions to these issues.
Relief Pitcher:
Héctor Neris (RHP)
Prior to leaving the Phillies in 2022, Héctor Neris was a staple in the Phillies bullpen. Oftentimes, he was relegated to being the closer, due to the poor pitchers in the back-end of the ‘pen. However, now equipped with elite bullpen pieces like Jose Alavarado and Jeff Hoffman for the 9th inning, the Phillies would no longer need to use Neris as a closer.
Last season, Neris only recorded 2 saves, and was utilized mostly as a 7th/8th inning reliever, and he was elite in that role. He posted a 1.71 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP, and was a key part of Houston’s bullpen in both of their postseason runs in 2022 and 2023. Throughout his career, Neris has demonstrated the ability to be elite in the 7th and 8th innings, as he has a career ERA of 2.72 and 2.77 in both, respectively. He has only allowed a .578 and .634 OPS in both innings, a sharp decrease from his 9th inning career statistics of a 4.05 ERA and .706 OPS.
His vast postseason experience and ability to shut down late innings will allow him to flourish with the Phillies, and provide stability to the bullpen.
Starting Pitcher:
Eric Lauer (LHP)
While the Phillies already went out and acquired their big fish in Aaron Nola, they still need depth behind their current starting 5 of Wheeler, Nola, Suárez, Walker, and Sanchez. Lauer would be able to provide that depth, and may slot into the rotations as a 4th or 5th starter. While the southpaw was not good last season (6.56 ERA, 7.41 FIP), his season was filled with injuries, as he only made 9 starts.
In 2022, Lauer was solid for the Brewers, as he had a 3.69 ERA, 4.50 FIP, and 1.22 WHIP, and in 2021 he was even better, as he had a 3.19 ERA, 4.04 FIP, and 1.14 WHIP. The 29-year-old will be inexpensive, and if the Phillies can bring him back to his 2022 and 2021 form, they will have a reliable starting pitcher in their hands.
Bench:
Tyler Naquin (LHB, Outfielder)
The Phillies are in desperate need for a left-handed bench bat, and Naquin will be able to provide that. While he was relegated to Triple-A for much of last year, Naquin has shown that he is capable of mashing righties, as he has a .791 OPS against righties in his career, and in 2022, had a .750 OPS against righties.
As currently constructed, the Phillies plan on having Edmundo Sosa as their utility middle infielder, and Garret Stubbs as their backup catcher, leaving two spots up for grabs. Naquin would have a chance at grabbing one of those two spots, providing depth to the Phillies outfield.
With signings like these, the Phillies will be able to place themselves in a better situation next season, and may finally have all of the pieces to get over the hump and win it all.
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