Fixing the Phillies: Familiar Face is This Year’s Bullpen Gamble

When Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski met with the media after the Phillies concluded the season with an NLDS loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, he showed his hand.  He mostly indicated that left-handed reliever Jose Alvarado would return in 2026.  That became official Wednesday.

The Phillies picked up Alvarado's $9 million option, officially adding Alvarado to the 2026 bullpen.  There were certainly reasons not to add Alvarado.  The PED suspension hurt the Phillies (though it may have led to the acquisition of Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins).

And, even after returning in August the Phillies did not get much from him.  Alvarado had a 6.75 ERA in five August appearances and a 9.00 ERA in four September appearances, before being shut down with an injury.

There is enough doubt where the Phillies may not be completely sure of what they are getting.

But the Phillies have almost annually taken a flyer on one reliever in the $8-10 million range.

There was first Corey Knebel.  Then came along Craig Kimbrel.  In 2025 it was $8.5 million for Jordan Romano.    None of them worked out particularly well, even considering Kimbrel's early season success.

So this is the year they'll give Alvarado a shot to show that he belongs in the big leagues and that he can do so without PEDs.

The Phillies bullpen in 2026 will be built around Duran from the start.  Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks return from the left side, and Orion Kerkering still has promise, provided he can get past the mental unease that led to the final play that seems like a distant memory at this point.

The Phillies will certainly need more bullpen help from the right side.  That could be addressed by making a trade in upcoming weeks.  But having Alvarado with the other four inspires some confidence that the Phillies bullpen will be a strength in 2026.

$9 million is a lot of money to most of us, but in baseball dollars it will be a low price if the Phillies can get the old Jose Alvarado back.   Replacing him, even with a mid-level reliever would still be costly.

So the Phillies did the right thing, making this their gamble for the year.  That's one less roster spot to worry about and the Phillies can focus on the bigger picture.