There’s been plenty of discussion surrounding the Phillies bullpen this winter, and chatter picked up this past weekend as Jeff Hoffman signed a three-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Some people think the Phillies haven’t done enough in the bullpen. The club signed Jordan Romano and Joe Ross, both right-handers, to one-year deals earlier this offseason. The bullpen will look different in 2025, especially from the right side.
A sense of uneasiness is normal when talking about any bullpen. Relief pitching is volatile. Bullpen reconfiguration after a strong season can create more uneasiness. Nobody likes change.
An area that doesn’t seem likely to change in the Phillies bullpen heading into the upcoming season is on the left side.
José Alvarado, Tanner Banks and Matt Strahm are the likeliest group of southpaw relievers to make the Phillies’ Opening Day roster a little more than two months from now. It’s a strong group.
Alvarado wasn’t as reliable in 2024 as he was in previous years. He finished the year with a 4.09 ERA in 66 appearances. The largest area of regression for Alvarado was his strikeout rate, which dipped to 24.4% after hovering at a little more than 37% the previous two years. Despite the downtick in overall performance, Alvarado still performed very well against left-handed hitters. He held them to a .399 OPS, one of the lowest marks for a lefty reliever against lefty batters.
Banks, acquired at the trade deadline, finished last year with a 3.98 ERA in 72 1/3 innings. He had a 3.70 ERA with the Phillies. He likely won’t make many high-leverage appearances in 2025. But he’s a reliable middle-innings type who throws strikes and has a knack for getting left-handed hitters out. Banks won’t fill a sexy role. He’ll fill an important one, though.
As for Strahm, he was the best left-handed reliever in baseball a season ago, finishing with 2.1 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs. He was a first-time All-Star, finishing the season with a 1.87 ERA in 66 appearances. The 33-year-old will likely remain one of Rob Thomson’s most trusted relievers, taking down plenty of high-leverage innings.
Phillies left-handed relievers were some of the best in the majors last season. The group led the sport in WAR (3.3), ranked fifth in ERA (3.22) and landed fourth in FIP (3.26). The trio of Alvarado, Banks and Strahm was important to that success. They combined to hold all hitters to a .184/.271/.285 slash line across 63 2/3 innings pitched out of the bullpen from July 31 through the end of the regular season. Their ERA during that span was 2.40.
The Phillies’ left-handed reliever success from last season could easily continue in 2025. Alvarado, Banks and Strahm are a good group. With the right side of the bullpen going through changes, the left side staying the same could help stabilize the unit as a whole, helping maintain its status as one of the best bullpens in the game.
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