phrustrated philly phan

Now lets take a look at the bullpen. Statistically they appeared to be alright. I am not going to get into how they struggled in close games, but if you want to read about that head over to beerleaguer. Lets look at the Phillies bullpen and their options for improvement next season.

I have to think there are four locks to return. Flash Gordon will be back closing games for the Phillies. He had a superb first half, making the all star game. He struggled mightily in the second half even missing time with a shoulder injury. Hopefully, he will be back next year, healthy and performing like he did the first half of this year. That is far from a guarantee. Geoff Geary who really came into his own this year will return probably as a set-up man. Geary became the most consistent reliever out of the bullpen. By the end of the season, he was the only relief pitcher I trusted. Ryan Madson also will likely be back next year. Madson had a terrible season this year. He moved between the rotation and bullpen and never pitched well. I will use that as the excuse for his poor pitching because before this year he had been superb out of the bullpen. If Madson can return to his form from two years ago, the Phillies could have a solid bullpen but I don’t think he can be counted on. Matt Smith will also be back next year. Smith had a good end to the year with the Phillies. His only blemish came during the final week when he walked two batters during a meltdown by the bullpen. He has shown a good fastball and a slider that can be nasty. He will probably be the top lefty in the bullpen replacing Aaron Fultz. Smith has good stuff and I think has the ability to close games in the near future (maybe the Abreu trade wasn’t as bad as everyone believed?).

There are some possibilities from within that I think could contribute next year. I think the two most likely candidates are Brian Sanchez and Clay Condrey. Sanchez struggled with the big league club but appears to have the ability to contribute. Condrey is a strike thrower. His stuff is not as good as Sanchez but he is definitely capable of contributing in the Phillies bullpen. Two lefties that will probably get a look in spring training are Eude Brito and Fabio Castro. I don’t see Castro starting the season with the Phillies especially with the way Manuel used him. I think he will probably go to Triple A and get more seasoning before returning to Philadelphia. Brito could be a nice addition to the bullpen. He could be a long-relief man as well as another lefty in the bullpen. Brito has some talent but I don’t think he is anything special but could be a serviceable pitcher in the bullpen.

Aaron Fultz is a free agent and I don’t see the Phillies bringing him back. He has pitched a lot of innings since he put on the red pinstripes and he is on the downside of his career. They would be better off giving his job to a younger player. I have always liked Fultz, but I think his time in Philly is done. Also Julio Santana should be able to return at some point during this season. He had Tommy John surgery early last season so he could be a factor sometime in May or June. Santana has never been anything special so don’t count on big things if he returns.

Other possibilities are few are far between. I think the most intriguing one is Eric Gagne. Gagne is likely to return to the Dodgers at a discount but it might not hurt to look into signing him. He can’t be counted on to convert 86 straight saves or even be healthy for a month so this would be a big risk. There are many other free agent bullpen pitchers but I don’t see many improvements out there. There would all be middle relief and no guarantees to succeed. The only other possibility I see is Dany Baez. Reportedly he wants out of Atlanta since they re-signed Bob Wickman. He may be someone to look into to bring in and team with Gordon at the end of the bullpen. Baez has never been real consistent, but would be an improvement.

My plan would involve only inside possibilities. Gordon, Geary, Madson, and Smith would all from the back end of the bullpen. They would be counted on to perform well and consistently. I would also add Sanchez and Brito to the bullpen to start the season. Castro would be just a call away at Triple A, but Brito has earned a chance to win a job to pitch in relief. Many fans want the Phillies to go outside but I don’t think that is there best route.