⚡ LATEST UPDATE: The Phillies Waste No Time Trading Matt Strahm and the Modest Haul Is Hard to Ignore ⚡.DD
This is all they could get?
Rumors that the Philadelphia Phillies might trade left-hander Matt Strahm had been swirling and had only picked up steam recently.
On Friday morning, the news finally broke that they were indeed trading Strahm to the Kansas City Royals, per FanSided’s Robert Murray.
The Phillies had been fielding interest on all of their lefty relievers this offseason, but Strahm was the main name that had continually come up.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan, just as recently as Thursday had said that the Phillies were “likely” to deal the 34-year-old.
Phillies dump Matt Strahm’s salary for Royals’ right-hander Jonathan Bowlan
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand revealed the Phillies’ return as being right-hander Jonathan Bowlan, according to his source.
The 29-year-old Bowlan was a second-round draft pick by the Royals in 2018 from the University of Memphis.
Bouncing between the majors and minors in 2025, in 34 appearances (one start) he posted a 3.86 ERA in 44 1/3 innings for Kansas City.
The Phillies quickly confirmed the deal on social media.
With Strahm set to earn $7.5 million in 2026, the Phillies clear some salary with the move, as Strahm returns to the organization that drafted him in 2012 in the 21st round.
Bowlan is not yet arbitration eligible and is under team control through 2031.
In 62 1/3 innings for the Phillies in 2025, Strahm posted a 2.74 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 74 strikeouts and 20 walks.
Since signing during the 2022 Winter Meetings, he has been rock-solid in the Phillies’ bullpen.
Strahm appeared in 188 games with the Phillies, posting a 2.71 ERA in 212 2/3 regular season innings.
As for Bowlan, he was once ranked as high as the Royals’ No. 8 MLB Pipeline prospect back in 2021.
He hovered around their top 10 for a few seasons, dropping to No. 12 in 2023 when he made his MLB debut.
In 50 major league innings, he has a 4.32 ERA with 52 strikeouts.
The native of Arlington, Tennessee boasts a five-pitch mix, typically leaning on a 95.7 mph four-seam fastball (33 percent usage) and his 85.8 mph slider (31 percent usage).
He also throws a 96 mph sinker along with a curveball and changeup.
His sinker is a highly effective offering, even though he used it just 17.3 percent of the time in 2025, it held opposing batters to a .161 average and .161 slugging percentage.
Bowlan is out of minor league options, so will have to clear waivers for the Phillies to assign him to the minors if he’s unable to make the Opening Day roster.
Regardless of where Bowlan fits in, all signs point to this trade being a precursor to a bigger move for the Phillies this offseason.
