Philadelphia Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski will be looking to make several significant splashes this winter. Heading into the offseason, Philadelphia has multiple roster roles to fill. This includes the desperate need for more offense in the lineup. The Phillies did not get much production from their hitters outside of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryson Stott.
Nevertheless, Dombrowski will also be looking to strengthen his bullpen. With this in mind, ESPN’s David Schoenfield has named the Phillies as the top fit for Adrian Morejon. The lefty relief pitcher is widely regarded as the top free-agent player in his position. He earned $3.9 million this past season with the San Diego Padres, but will now look for a substantial multi-year deal in the market.
As the reporter points out, Morejon helped himself by having another solid showing in the postseason. He could also be in more demand due to how the Milwaukee Brewers won the World Series while relying on multiple southpaws. “[Morejon] was already going to be in demand as a left-handed high-leverage reliever, but even more so after watching the Brewers’ bullpen dominate the postseason with three lefty relievers,” writes Schoenfield.
The Philadelphia Phillies are set at closer with Jhoan Duran, but the rest of the bullpen is a mess, finishing 21st in ERA. Jose Alvarado has been their longtime top southpaw, but he’s a free agent and coming off a bad season (5.86 ERA). Phillies lefty relievers allowed an .805 OPS, second worst in the majors. Give Duran some help.”
Philadelphia Phillies Likely Have to Pay Adrian Morejon Over $40 Million
Schoenfield is not the only prominent reporter linking Morejon to the Philadelphia Phillies. In fact, SNY’s John Harper is even projecting that Dombrowski will soon land the star reliever. “The Phillies have been trying for years, with little success, to build a bullpen that won’t fall apart in the biggest moments, most notably the postseason,” claims Harper.
Harper also points out Philadelphia’s need for bullpen help beyond Duran. During the regular season, the closer was the only regular Phillies relief pitcher to post an ERA under 3.40 and a WAR over 1.5. The team’s bullpen also recorded a combined 5.91 ERA during three playoff games in a first-round defeat to the Atlanta Braves.
To sign Morejon, the Philadelphia Phillies will have to offer him a significant contract in the near future. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden recently projected the pitcher to earn a three-year, $42 million deal in free agency. According to Bowden, the contract aligns with fellow relievers Robert Suarez and Tyler Rogers. Interestingly, the former exec also named Philadelphia as a top fit for Morejon.
Philadelphia Expected to Face Competition for Reliever
The Philadelphia Phillies will, however, have plenty of competition in the Morejon sweepstakes. Several other Major League Baseball teams need bullpen help, too. The New York Yankees have already been linked with the Padres star multiple times in recent weeks. San Diego also likely wants to keep the star pitcher in place.
Because of this, Dombrowski may have to offer Morejon a little more money than he initially expected. Even so, the Phillies clearly need bullpen help, and the veteran lefty is an ideal offseason addition for Philadelphia. Over the last two seasons, Morejon has a combined 2.48 ERA and 177 strikeouts in just over 159 innings pitched.
Phillies Expected to Sign $42 Million Star to Fill Key Role