The Philadelphia Phillies received bad news today with the 80-game suspension of left-handed reliever José Alvarado.
Alvarado is suspended for the majority of the remaining season after violating the MLB’s PED policy and failing a drug test. The 30-year-old reliever won’t be playing until after the suspension, which will end in mid-August.
Alvarado was in the midst of one of his better seasons before being suspended. The southpaw reliever appeared in 20 games for the Phillies this season and had a 4-1 record with a 2.70 ERA. Alvarado also has the best K/BB ratio of his career with a 6.3 after striking out 25 batters while only walking four.
Following the news about Alvarado’s suspension, CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson compiled a list of potential trade candidates that the Phillies could target to fill the void in their bullpen, including four-time All-Star Kenley Jansen.
“Jansen has ample late-inning experience and a better strikeout-to-walk ratio than his bloated ERA indicates,” Anderson wrote. “At the same time, his signature cutter continues to show signs of erosion. That’s not an encouraging sign when you consider that he’s a one-trick pitcher. The Angels won’t have reason to keep Jansen — or what remains on his $10 million financial obligation — beyond the deadline.”
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The Los Angeles Angels are one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball, and with Jansen on a one-year, $10 million deal, trading him before the deadline to a reliever-needy team like the Phillies would be a good move. Jansen is a veteran reliever who’s earned Cy Young consideration in the past, and would be a great trade candidate for Philadelphia as they await Alvarado’s return.
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