The Philadelphia Phillies know they need to address the bullpen. If a reliever or multiple relievers aren’t added, they essentially have little to no chances of being successful this year.
MLB insider Jeff Passan believes Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase is the ideal candidate for the bullpen.
“Best match: Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians,” wrote Passan. “As long as the Phillies are aiming high — and nobody aims high quite like Dave Dombrowski — perhaps they could take a run at landing both Clase and Steven Kwan from Cleveland.”
Adding Kwan would be a bonus from any sort of negotiations. However, adding Clase or a reliever of his caliber is a need, not a luxury.
So far this season, Clase has a 3.12 ERA through 40 1/3 innings this season for the Guardians. The 27-year-old right hander has recorded 19 saves and is the go-to man in Cleveland’s bullpen.
Most teams may be able to survive without addressing their biggest need at the deadline. The Phillies, on the other hand, face more pressure.
“If Cleveland ultimately balks at moving Clase, it doesn’t change the imperative: Philadelphia needs to address its weaknesses,” wrote Passan. “This bullpen is not suited to win a playoff series, much less the World Series. The consequence of bad relief pitching manifested itself in the postseason last year, when the New York Mets filleted Phillies relievers for 17 runs in 12 2/3 innings. No other bullpen gave up more than nine runs in the division series. Clase (or Jhoan Durán or any shutdown reliever, really) is just a start. An on-the-fly overhaul is what this team needs — and deserves.”
Passan didn’t pull any punches, and he’s spot on in his analysis. The Phillies’ bullpen is atrocious, and it’s the one glaring hole on the roster. It’s often a slap in the face to the starting pitchers who have generally produced at a high level this season.
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