There were 59 players around MLB non-tendered ahead of Wednesday night’s deadline who are now free agents, including 30 pitchers.Most of the bigger names are position players and we’ll take a look later at their potential fit with the Phillies. But pitching is this team’s biggest need — particularly relief help — so let’s start there.
10 photos
1/10
The most surprising non-tender among pitchers was Bradley, who has had success as both a setup man and closer.
Bradley had a 2.95 ERA with 10.0 strikeouts per nine from 2017-19 with the Diamondbacks, the team that drafted him seventh overall in 2011.
He was the D-backs’ eighth-inning guy for much of his tenure but was thrust into closing duty in 2019 when Greg Holland flamed out. From the time he took over the closer’s role, Bradley went 17 for 18 in saves with a 2.10 ERA.
He was traded midway through this 60-game season to the Reds and pitched well for them, allowing one run in seven appearances.
Bradley will be a hot commodity on the free-agent market. His 2020 salary was $4.1 million and he’ll be due a raise the Reds did not want to pay.
There is no doubt the Phillies should pursue him. He’d be their best reliever. He’s not on the same level as the top two free-agent relievers, Liam Hendriks and Brad Hand, but he’s as effective as anyone else on that list.
2/10
Rodon was the third overall pick in 2014 and was in the majors a year later with the White Sox. His career began with two promising seasons (3.90 ERA, 307 K’s in 304 innings) before a series of injuries hit.
In 2017, biceps and shoulder issues limited Rodon to 12 starts.
That shoulder injury cost Rodon more than two months in 2018.
His 2019 season ended after seven starts because of an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.
He returned this summer but was sidelined with back/shoulder soreness after two starts. He appeared in four games this season, allowing seven runs in 7⅔ innings. It was at least a promising sign that his fastball velocity was similar to his pre-injury average at 93 mph.
3/10
His name was in the news recently because he received an accidental 18th-place National League MVP vote via a misclick from Cardinals beat writer Rick Hummel.
Tepera didn’t deserve that MVP vote but he’s had a solid six-year career. He spent his first five seasons in Toronto and 2020 with the Cubs. He has a 3.66 career ERA with a strikeout per inning. He goes mostly sinker-cutter with the sinker sitting in the mid-90s.
He made $900,000 this past season in Chicago.
4/10
The former Rays opener extraordinaire. Stanek made 56 “starts” for Tampa Bay in 2018 and 2019 before being traded to the Marlins for Nick Anderson, a trade the Rays won by about a million percent.
Stanek was very good in Tampa (ERA 20% better than league average) and very bad in Miami (6.03 ERA, 27 walks in 31⅓ innings).
He is absolutely a buy-low option worth considering. Stanek has an excellent splitter and a fastball that sits 95-98 mph.
5/10
Is he better than Vince Velasquez? That’s essentially the question the Phillies have to ask themselves with any free-agent starting pitcher.
They tendered Velasquez a contract Wednesday night out of necessity but desperately need better starting pitching options behind their top three of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Zach Eflin and unproven projected No. 4 starter Spencer Howard.
Ureña is a right-hander the Phillies have seen plenty of since 2015. He’s made 142 appearances and 98 starts for the Marlins and has pitched more innings against the Phillies than against any other team.
Since 2017, Ureña has a 4.22 ERA in 94 appearances (77 starts). But he’s trending the wrong way. This season, he struck out a career-low 5.8 per nine innings and walked a career-high 5.0. He’s also twice led the majors in hit batsmen, which Ronald Acuña Jr. is acutely aware of.
6/10
Cole was part of the same Nationals draft as Bryce Harper and was a highly-touted pitching prospect once upon a time. Things didn’t work out for him as a starter but he’s finally found a groove the last two seasons in American League bullpens.
Cole had a 3.09 ERA with the Blue Jays this season, allowing an earned run in only five of 24 appearances. Two of those five were against the Phillies.
Since 2019, Cole is 6-1 with a 3.47 ERA and has struck out 50 in 49⅓ innings. He could be an inexpensive setup option for a team like the Phillies. They need to find a young-ish reliever who is truly ascending. They’re not in position to keep buying late-30s reliever like David Robertson and Pat Neshek.
7/10
Shreve first met Harper when Harper was 16. The two played together for a year at the College of Southern Nevada and were both in the majors a few years later.
Shreve has spent seven seasons with four different teams, though the bulk of his time has been in New York. He had a 3.92 ERA in 180 appearances for the Yankees from 2015-18 and struck out 34 in 25 innings with the Mets this season.
Lefties and righties have nearly identical splits against Shreve, with one-point differences in both batting average and OPS. Now more than ever, a lefty reliever must be able to find success against right-handed hitters because the three-batter minimum rule for relievers means fewer platoon advantages.
Lefty relievers are always in demand. Shreve won’t have trouble finding a gig.
8/10
Anderson, a left-handed starting pitcher, has spent his five-year career in the NL West. He experienced the typical struggles pitching at Coors Field for four seasons but given the circumstances, he wasn’t that bad. His 4.69 ERA with the Rockies was actually 4% better than the league average when adjusting for park factors.
Anderson went from the most hitter-friendly park to the most pitcher-friendly park this season with the Giants. In 60 innings, he had a 4.37 ERA with 41 strikeouts and 25 walks.
Let’s revisit the question posed above with Ureña: Is this starting pitcher better than Vince Velasquez? The answer is likely yes, with Anderson’s left-handedness giving him a slight advantage given the Phillies’ need for one.
9/10
Maybe the Twins think his arm is about to fall off. Wisler threw his slider an insane 83% of the time this season. For reference, Sergio Romo throws his slider about 60% of the time.
Did it work for Wisler? You bet. The former Brave, Red, Padre and Mariner had a dominant 2020 season in Minnesota, posting a 1.07 ERA in 25⅓ innings with 35 strikeouts.
It remains to be seen whether such a slider-heavy approach can work for Wisler over a full season or multiple seasons. But, as with Cole above, this is the kind of inexpensive reliever you’d love to catch as he’s ascending.
10/10
Holder has spent his five-year career with the Yankees, making 157 appearances and three more in the playoffs.
Holder had a 3.42 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 105 innings in his first two full seasons.
He has a 5.86 ERA the last two seasons and had a career-low strikeout rate in this shortened season.
He was a first-year arbitration-eligible player who was likely to make about $1 million next season.
