Phillies Rumors: Club has inquired on reliever Brandon Workman

The Philadelphia Phillies made a minor trade to improve their bullpen Friday, and appear to be pursuing larger upgrades.

In addition to acquiring reliever David Hale from the New York Yankees, Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb of The Athletic report that the Phillies and Boston Red Sox have touched base about the availability of reliever Brandon Workman.

Earlier this week, Phillies Nation‘s Jonny Heller suggested that Workman was among the arms that it would make sense for the Phillies to target in advance of the Aug. 31 trade deadline.

Workman has a 4.05 ERA in seven games for the Red Sox this season, but his 2.57 FIP suggests he’s due for some positive regression. A season ago, he posted a 1.88 ERA and recorded 16 saves in 73 games for the Red Sox.

Though Workman was on both the 2013 and 2018 World Series Champion Red Sox, his postseason track record, at best, is a mixed bag. He was excellent in the 2013 postseason, as he didn’t allow a run in seven appearances. In just three appearances in the 2018 postseason, he tallied a 45.00 ERA, though.

It’s not clear what type of return Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox will look for in return for Workman, who can become a free agent at the conclusion of this season. Certainly, though, one would think the Red Sox will have multiple suitors with legitimate interest in Workman, so they will certainly ask for more than a warm body in return for the 32-year-old.

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