The Philadelphia Phillies could look to move on from a star reliever amid a bullpen turnover this offseason.
Philadelphia had a disappointing exit to their season, losing in the NLDS to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Phillies’ bullpen was an issue throughout the year, and the team may be planning some major changes to strengthen the group.
Phillies insider Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports that star reliever Matt Strahm could draw trade interest from other teams. “The Phillies have fielded steady interest in all three of their left-handed relievers since the offseason began, major-league sources said, and it could nudge them toward a trade,” Gelb wrote.
He added, “The free-agent market for lefty relievers is not robust; some of the best available arms are Gregory Soto, Drew Pomeranz, Danny Coulombe, and Hoby Milner.”
Strahm, in particular, could pique teams’ interest. Despite this, he has been an integral piece of the Phillies’ bullpen success. His 2.46 ERA since 2023 ranks second among 53 left-handed relievers with at least 100 innings pitched during that span (Coulombe leads the group).
Although Strahm’s strikeout rate and fastball velocity dipped in 2025, he still logged an effective 62 1/3 innings of relief work. The left-hander, who serves as a reliable setup man, posted a 2-3 record with a 2.74 ERA over 66 games last season. Strahm is set to earn $7.5 million in 2026 and will be a free agent following the season.
### What Would the Phillies Get for Strahm?
If Philadelphia decides to move on from Strahm, they would likely receive a decent return. Given that he is a pending free agent, the trade return might not be massive, but Gelb believes the Phillies could net a mid-tier prospect.
“What would be the motivation to move one of the lefties? The Phillies could acquire a mid-level prospect to help backfill a depleted farm system, then throw some darts with the payroll savings on a few middle relievers,” Gelb explained. “Maybe it’s a chance to refresh a familiar bullpen mix that has enjoyed highs and suffered lows.”
“Whatever the case, the Phillies must create better bullpen depth than they did last offseason; they entered 2025 with these righties in the bullpen: Orion Kerkering, Jordan Romano, José Ruiz, and Carlos Hernández. They’ve already boosted it by adding Jhoan Duran. But securing a deeper righty pool might require creative maneuvers like trading a lefty.”
With the left-handed reliever free agent market not being the strongest, trading one of their own could be a practical move for Philadelphia to gain valuable assets.
### Philadelphia Not Ruling Out Starting Pitching Help
While the Phillies consider trading some pitching assets, they are also open to adding starting pitching help.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski emphasized that while it’s not their highest priority, the team is mindful of their starting pitching depth.
“But, again, it’s not our highest priority. You have to be careful. You always need to look for starting pitching depth. That doesn’t necessarily mean top of the market, but where does that fit in?” Dombrowski said.
“Because you never have enough starting pitching, and really for us, after you get past [the top six starters], now you’re talking about [minor leaguer Jean] Cabrera. He would be one of those guys. But we don’t have a lot of starting pitching depth, so that’s something we need to be cognizant of.”
As the Phillies plan for the next season, moves involving both bullpen adjustments and potential additions to the starting rotation remain on the table.
https://heavy.com/sports/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/star-reliever-drawing-trade-interest/