DEAL AGREED: Phillies are Reportedly on the Verge of Signing pair of veteran relievers

The Philadelphia Phillies are still looking for a seasoned player to complete their bullpen after many noteworthy relievers were selected in the last ten days.

According to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies are interested in both veteran right-handed relievers Phil Maton and Jakob Junis, who are included in this search.

Nick Maton, a former utility guy for the Phillies, has an elder brother named Maton. During the previous two seasons, the 30-year-old pitched 135 games for the Houston Astros, recording a 3.42 ERA and 4.03 FIP. Naturally, the most memorable thing that happened to him in that time was when Nick singled off of him in a pointless Game 162, and he punched a locker and broke his hand. The Astros would go on to win the World Series in six games against the Phillies, but Maton would miss the whole postseason run.

In contrast, Junis pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 40 games in 2022, recording a 3.87 ERA and 3.74 FIP. The 31-year-old would most likely be used as a bullpen option, but the Phillies, who are short on depth beyond their five expected starters, are undoubtedly drawn to him because he has made 21 starts in the last two seasons.

In an attempt to make up for the workload that Craig Kimbrel, who is now a Baltimore Oriole, was in charge of a season ago, the Phillies have had to turn to the second or even third tier of relievers over the past two weeks due to the absence of Josh Hader (Houston Astros), Jordan Hicks (Giants), David Robertson (Texas Rangers), and Héctor Neris (Chicago Cub

s).

 

It seems highly likely that Gregory Soto and Orion Kerkering will be in the Opening Day bullpen along with José Alvarado, Seranthony Domínguez, Jeff Hoffman, and Matt Strahm. There are now two bullpen spaces left. Given that Dylan Covey and Andrew Bellatti have no further minor-league options, it would appear that they are the front-runners for those positions. However, one of those two could be a trade or DFA candidate if the Phillies sign another veteran alternative.