The Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen suffered a major blow when they lost José Alvarado to a PED suspension. His suspension will keep him out of the postseason as well.
Ideally, the Phillies will acquire a lockdown closer at the deadline. However, that is easier said than done. They could, however, add some quality arms and go with a closer-by-committee approach. FanSided’s Michael Fisher proposed the Phillies trade for Seranthony Domínguez before the trade deadline.
Domínguez spent six seasons pitching for the Phillies. He was traded away last season in the deal that brought Austin Hays and Cristian Pache to Philadelphia. Fisher noted that Domíguez has started throwing a splitter and has seen great results recently.
“It took a little while to iron things out, but Domínguez hit his stride and hasn’t looked back thanks to the new offering,” wrote Fisher. “His splitter usage rose to 23.8 percent in June — up from 11.3 percent in May. He’s getting a 54.3 percent whiff rate with the new pitch.”
“In 16 1/3 innings since May 26, he hasn’t allowed an earned run (he has allowed just two unearned runs),” Fisher continued. “He has racked up 25 strikeouts and allowed just seven walks and six hits. He has the second-highest fWAR (0.8) among qualified relievers over that span, while his 41 percent strikeout rate ranks ninth.”
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Domínguez has a 3.15 ERA for the Baltimore Orioles this year. He is not going to fill the team’s need at closer, but he does have 39 saves in his career. He could be part of the puzzle for the Phillies in the backend of their bullpen. He is going to be a free agent after the season, and the Orioles seem poised to be sellers at the deadline.
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