As the Philadelphia Phillies search for relief pitchers, one fireballing lefty looms large.
The way things stand, the Phillies’ bullpen will be short on lefties for the playoffs, because closer Jose Alvarado got himself suspended for 80 games, plus the entirety of postseason play, due to a positive performance-enhancing drug test.
The Phillies know they’ll be buying at this year’s deadline. The bigger question at this point is which teams they’ll have to choose from among the sellers, and in this case, which teams with relievers that match Philadelphia’s needs will fall out of the race.
If the Boston Red Sox were to continue losing, that would be a major development for a lot of contenders. That includes the Phillies, according to one baseball writer.
On Thursday, Brad Wakai of Phillies on SI named Red Sox reliever Aroldis Chapman, a seven-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, as a top prospective target for the Phillies at this deadline.
“While fans might not want to sign up for the rollercoaster experience that is Chapman coming off two consecutive years where Craig Kimbrel and Carlos Estevez were closing games for the team, Chapman’s walk rate is down substantially to what it’s been in the past as he sits with a WHIP under 1.00,” Wakai wrote.
Follow The Sporting News On WhatsApp
“It could be a risk to bring in Chapman after he’s gotten off to such a great start, but with the Boston Red Sox underperforming and him being a rental, it wouldn’t take a ton of prospect capital to land the 37-year-old.”
Wakai might not want to count his chickens on that last point. We saw last year that prices for rental relievers can still become sky-high, as the San Diego Padres traded four top prospects for another lefty, Tanner Scott.
Still, anyone who can throw 103 miles per hour and that has a 1.80 ERA warrants very serious consideration. Chapman is a win-now player, and the Phillies are the ultimate win-now team.
More MLB: Report: Braves calling up 9-time All-Star Craig Kimbrel after bullpen fiasco
