Despite beginning the season in low-A Clearwater and not making his major-league debut until the 156th game of the season, Orion Kerkering made seven postseason appearances for the Phillies.
When building a roster, it’s usually helpful to pay attention to what team officials have to say. However, observing their behavior is frequently more instructive because past deeds frequently foreshadow or even affect decisions made in the present.
Consider Dave Dombrowski’s contributions to the Phillies bullpen.
2020–21 offseason: Archie Bradley ($6 million) and Brandon Kintzler ($3 million) were signed to one-year contracts as free agents; José Alvarado was traded.
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2021–22 offseason: In place of Héctor Neris, Bradley, and 2021 trade-deadline addition Ian Kennedy, who replaced Kintzler, the team signed free agents Corey Knebel ($10 million), Jeurys Familia ($6 million), and Brad Hand ($6 million) to one-year contracts.
During the 2022–2023 offseason, the team signed free agent Craig Kimbrel ($10 million) for a one-year contract to replace David Robertson. Hand was traded for Gregory Soto in order to replace Robertson, who was acquired in a 2022 deadline trade.
And so it continued, the cycle of relievers coming up one after another during Dombrowski’s first three winters in charge of the Phillies’ baseball operations. What stood out was the pattern of veterans replacing veterans, most on one-year contracts with the exception of Alvarado and Soto, who were acquired by the Rays and Tigers, respectively, and had several seasons of team control.
The Phillies’ declaration that they are “pretty happy with where we’re at” in the bullpen, as manager Rob Thomson put it, three weeks before pitchers and catchers report for spring training, is one thing, even though they haven’t filled the void left by Kimbrel’s signing with the Orioles last month.
However, Dombrowski’s past implies that they are still looking for assistance. Relievers have been in high demand lately. After top closer Josh Hader signed a five-year, $95 million contract with the Astros, Robert Stephenson received an offer from the Angels for three years, while the Pirates, Angels, White Sox, and Rangers offered one-year contracts to Aroldis Chapman, Matt Moore, John Brebbia, and Robertson. Adam Ottavino and Neris left the board on Saturday after signing one-year contracts with the
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