State of the Bullpen

Until November 20th, teams have exclusive negotiation rights with their own players. After then, the bidding frenzy begins as teams look for ways to improve their club for next season. Ruben Amaro Jr. has publicly said that the needs to address are the bullpen, bench, and at third base. There is a possibility that he puts some feelers out on starting pitchers, as well.

So first let’s take a look at the bullpen, where there were some bright spots and (cough) some not so bright spots. In 2008, the relievers dominated with a 3.22 ERA with with 33 wins, 47 saves, and 37 home runs allowed. The 2009 squad had a very respectable 3.91 ERA with 27 wins, 44 saves, and 46 home runs allowed. Both quality years, but the back end of the bullpen became a huge issue in ‘09.

How will Amaro piece together his bullpen for 2010? It starts in free agency.

Two Phillies bullpen arms have already filed for free agency, Scott Eyre and Chan Ho Park. Eyre has said that if he decides not to retire, the only team he would consider playing for is the Phillies. Amaro is in contact with Park’s agent, and is willing the bring the righty back as a middle reliever for at least one more season. Unfortunately, Park still has an itch to be a starting pitcher, a role he struggled in with the Phillies earlier in the year.

I expect both pitchers to be back next year. Eyre’s teammates will be on him to come back, and other teams probably will not be interested in Park as a somewhat expensive 5th starter. Both guys had extremely solid years out of the ‘pen, and would make Amaro’s job much easier if they decide to return.

The only bullpen arms signed for next year are Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, and J.C. Romero. After missing most of ‘09, Romero looks like he miss be absent for the beginning of ‘10 as well due to elbow surgery. Lidge also recently underwent elbow surgery, and will enter spring training as the closer despite his well-documented struggles. Madson will again man the 8th inning role, where he continues to prove to be one of the elite set-up men in the game.

Two more Phillies are eligible for salary arbitration, Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey. The Phillies will likely offer both arbitration, but it is possible that they non-tender them, hence releasing them to the open market. Durbin was much better in ‘08, but is still an effective pitcher. Condrey dominated for a stretch before struggling with injuries later in the season. He has been a mainstay in the Phillies bullpen for years, and if proven healthy, should resume that role next season.

If all the aforementioned arms are back in the pen (Lidge, Madson, Durbin, Eyre, Romero, Condrey, Park), then that leaves just one opening, assuming they carry eight bullpen bodies. Of those, Durbin/Condrey would have to fight to make the team and Romero will open the season on the disabled list. That combined with the back-end struggles in ‘09 will have Amaro looking hard at the free agent market.

Many have speculated that Tigers reliever Fernando Rodney would be a good fit in Philly. The flame-throwing righty has been a successful closer, and would prefer to remain in that role. If he fails to find that opportunity, he would likely consider a job with the Phillies. Either way, Rodney would command a fairly large salary, something Amaro might be unwilling to do for a guy with a career 4.28 ERA.

Other names being thrown around are J.J. Putz, Jose Valverde, Rafael Soriano, Kevin Gregg, and Mike Gonzalez. All of those guys have had successful runs as closers, and will likely pursue closing jobs first.

Also to consider are minor league arms. Antonio Bastardo is a quality left-handed arm who landed on the playoff roster for the Phillies. While envisioned as a starter, he could fill-in for Romero until he returns from surgery. Kyle Kendrick, Sergio Escalona, and Andrew Carpenter are more minor league options.

The Hot Stove season is just beginning, so keep on your toes as Amaro has proven to be a slick dealer in his short tenure as GM. There is no question in my mind that he will address the bullpen via free agency, trades, or both.

Tags: Brad Lidge, Chad Durbin, Chan Ho Park, Clay Condrey, Fernando Rodney, J. J. Putz, J.C. Romero, Kyle Kendrick, MLB, Philadelphia Phillies, Ruben Amaro Jr., Ryan Madson, Scott Eyre