Report: Phillies Looking at “Practically Every Reliever Available”
The MLB non-waiver trade deadline is less than 24 hours away. The Phillies already have Asdrubal Cabrera on the roster, but the club might not be done. The Phillies might also be looking for some relief in their bullplen.
Jim Bowden of Sirius XM, the Athletic, and CBS Sports reports that the Phillies are among teams looking for a reliever:
Of course, not all the aforementioned names are equal.
Jake Diekman and Adam Conley would be particularly beneficial to the Phillies because they throw from the left side. The Phillies are particularly familiar with Diekman, who was in the Phillies bullpen before he headed to Texas along with Cole Hamels in 2015. Conley is also left-handed and has been particularly effective since moving from the starting rotation to the bullpen.
Fernando Rodney and Bud Norris would be veteran closer-types who could pitch the ninth inning while Seranthony Dominguez goes after the heart of each team's order in innings seven or eight when necessary. Craig Stammen has closing experience while Kirby Yates just became the closer for the Padres. Keone Kela has 24 saves for the Texas Rangers
Phillies general manager Matt Klentak has been successfully tight-lipped throughout the trade process thus far, so it is hard to know what the Phillies are doing. Phillies management speaks very positively about what they have. But the Atlanta Braves got stronger in their bullpen by acquiring Brad Brach from the Baltimore Orioles last evening, and the Phillies may wish to keep up.