The Philadelphia Phillies are engaged in a tough battle within the East Division against a New York Mets team that has hit a rough patch but remains close on their heels. Their 47-33 record positions them as one of the teams likely to be serious buyers ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
Under this scenario, and while awaiting the return of one of their best players, Bryce Harper, the Phillies face an obstacle they cannot afford to have in the postseason.
The bullpen is a major problem
Relief pitching is a significant concern within the organization. The bullpen ranks 25th in MLB with a 4.63 ERA. One need only mention the disastrous acquisition of Jordan Romano, who has a 6.51 ERA.
Adding to this is the 80-game suspension of closer José Alvarado for violating prohibited substance policies.
This has led Dave Dombrowski to consider reinforcing the bullpen as the path forward to improve their postseason chances.
“We feel like we have a legitimate chance to win,” Dombrowski said on The Athletic’s Starkville podcast. “Then the answer, to me, is, you may give up a little bit more than you would want to in other circumstances. But that opportunity (to win it all) doesn’t always come.”
He added about the importance of the bullpen: “The postseason bullpen is a lot different than the regular-season bullpen,” Dombrowski said. He noted that in a five-game division series, a team only needs three starters. “So if you have five [starters], two of them can go into the bullpen as it is there.”
On the other hand, when discussing Bryce Harper, he mentioned that there could be changes in the lineup, potentially moving the star, who has played first base, back to the outfield. He knows Harper will make the necessary sacrifice to help the team achieve its goals.
“Well, Bryce has said that,” Dombrowski commented. “Bryce will be willing to do whatever needs to be done… (But) I would really prefer not to do that.”
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