The Phillies bullpen has been depleted by injuries and is down to 1 quality reliever after Seranthony Dominguez left Wednesday’s game with an possible elbow injury.
Back on May 15, the Phillies’ bullpen was 7th in the league in ERA. That was with a resurgent Adam Morgan, an average Pat Neshek, and the aforementioned Dominguez.
From May 15th to June 5th, the Phillies bullpen has ranked 20th in WAR and ERA with a -1 and 5.48, respectively.
The Phillies only quality reliever left is Hector Neris, who has found himself since being demoted in late 2018. Neris is 12/12 in save opportunities with a 2.03 ERA and 38 K in 26.2 IP. The way he’s playing, don’t be surprised to see him in Cleveland for the All-Star Game.
But now with Seranthony injured and Craig Kimbrel on the Cubs, the Phillies must look toward the San Fransisco Giants for bullpen help. The Giants bullpen ranks among the best in the National League and their record among the worst.
An ideal trade partner.
At a 3.71 bullpen ERA, the Giants are only behind the Reds in the National League in that category. Their 2 WAR also ranks right behind the Reds.
While Will Smith, not that one so no Gettin Jiggy Wit It, has been discussed as a trade target, he is by no means the only one.
Sam Dyson has a 2.79 ERA with a sub-1 WHIP. Reyes Moronta has a 3.29 ERA with 41 K in 27.1 IP (he would be harder to get since he’s not a free agent until 2024). Tony Watson, the veteran 34-year-old lefty, is aging like fine wine. He’s had a 2.56 ERA over the past 2 seasons with the Giants, only allowing 6 homers in 96 games.
The Phillies’ potential of trading for any one of these players could be made easier by doing one thing; acquiring Mark Melancon and eating most of his contract.
He’s making $14 million a year through next season. While he’s been good this season, between 2017 and 2018 he had a 3.78 ERA and a 1.522 WHIP.
The Giants would be more than happy to write most of his contract off the books. If the Phillies would be willing to pay, they could fix up the bullpen in one deal.
The deal could look similar to the one between the Padres and Indians last summer. The Indians parted with top prospect Francisco Mejia for relievers Brad Hand and Adam Cimber. Both players helped stabilize a faulty Indians’ pen with Hand being one of the best relievers in the league, sporting a 1.72 ERA since the trade.
