The Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen has emerged as a major weakness through the first month of the season. That’s why, according to one MLB insider, the team needs to trade for a two-time All-Star closer.
After letting Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez depart in free agency, Philadelphia’s relief corps now ranks 25th in baseball in ERA (4.71), 27th in batting average allowed (.264), and has surrendered the 12th-most home runs (14).
Two-time All-Star Jordan Romano, the Phillies’ key bullpen acquisition, has struggled significantly with a 10.22 ERA across 14 appearances. He’s allowed 14 earned runs and three homers in just 12⅓ innings pitched.
Philadelphia also counted on Orion Kerkering to step forward, but he’s posted a 4.85 ERA in 15 appearances while allowing half of his 10 inherited runners to score.
With the relief situation deteriorating, The Athletic’s MLB insider Jim Bowden has proposed a solution: trading for St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley.
“Helsley, 30, is a two-time All-Star who last year led the majors in saves (49), topped the National League with 62 games finished and logged a 2.04 ERA,” writes Bowden. “This season, he has a 3.75 ERA and ranks in the 97th percentile in fastball velocity.”
The proposed deal would send pitching prospect Mick Abel to St. Louis. Abel, a former first-round pick, is showing renewed promise after struggling last year.
Bowden notes, “He’s been slow to develop, as it’s taken him a while to find command and control of his pitches. However, he’s off to a promising start this season with a 2.75 ERA over 39⅓ innings at Triple A. He’s averaged 3.9 walks per nine innings this season after allowing 6.5 per nine last season. (He’s averaged 5.2 per nine in his minor-league career.)”
Adding Helsley would immediately strengthen the Phillies’ bullpen, giving manager Rob Thomson another trusted arm for high-leverage situations.
