The Phillies are apparently searching for help at the back end of their bullpenin free agency
It’s no secret that the end of the Philadelphia Phillies‘ 2025 season was in large part due to offensive slumping, but relief pitching continued to be an issue.
The now-infamous Orion Kerkering throwaway that officially marked the conclusion of the Phillies’ demise was just another occurrence in a long list of bullpen miscues.
Matt Strahm giving up the go-ahead home run to Teoscar Hernandez in Game 1, and Kerkering giving up another two runs in Game 2 to put it out of reach in the 7th inning were two more examples just from this most recent postseason run.
With Jhoan Duran solidifying the closer role in Philadelphia, the front office now looks toward filling out the rest of the bullpen, particularly the setup roles.
Southpaw Jose Alvarado, who missed much of the 2025 season with a Performance Enhancing Drug suspension and a minor injury, will be back in the bullpen for 2026, but can’t be viewed as a stable arm.
Strahm, who has been the topic of trade talks this offseason, would be a valuable piece in the bullpen if he stays, but has consistently shown that higher-leverage situations aren’t his most comfortable spot.
The same can be said for Kerkering, whose future with the team is truly unknown.
That leads to a report from NBC Sports Philadelphia writer and Phillies reporter Jim Salisbury on the team’s perspective on its bullpen.
“They would like to address that setup area,” Salisbury said on the Foul Territory podcast.
“That’s something they would like to do and [they] have their eyes open toward, and I’d be surprised if they don’t address that bullpen.”
Former Tampa Bay Rays’ Pete Fairbanks an Option
Phillies’ President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski is usually one to keep his cards close to his chest, with substantial information surrounding the team’s targets a rarity in MLB media.
While purely speculative, Salisbury did bring up one name that the Philadelphia brass could turn to stabilize their staff: former Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Pete Fairbanks.
He detailed the team’s apparent preference for arms that are tough on right-handed hitters.
He concluded that Fairbanks would align with their desires and potential budget, especially considering already passed the first few luxury tax thresholds.
“A guy like [Pete] Fairbanks would make a lot of sense, depending on where they are budget-wise,” Salisbury said.
“Most of their expenditures are going to be on [Kyle] Schwarber and [JT] Realmuto if they get [Realmuto’s deal] to the finish line.”
Fairbanks was incredibly solid once again for the Rays across 60.1 innings in 2025, tallying 27 saves with a 2.83 Earned Run Average.
He also posted incredible underlying metrics, with a 3.04 xERA, a 3.63 Fielding Independent Pitching, and a Baseball Savant page with plenty of high-profile data on his impressive arsenal.
Spotrac has his market value sitting at $43 million across a potential three-year contract, a decent-sized financial investment if the Phillies were to make it.
