PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 17: The Phanatic cheers with fans in the stands during Game 2 of the NLCS between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, October 17, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brian Garfinkel/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Phillies reportedly interested in pair of veteran relievers
With multiple notable relievers having come off the board over the last 10 days, the Philadelphia Phillies continue to search for another veteran to round out their bullpen.
That search includes veteran right-handed relievers Phil Maton and Jakob Junis, both of whom the Phillies are interested in, according to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Maton is the older brother of former Phillies utility man Nick Maton. The 30-year-old posted a 3.42 ERA and 4.03 FIP across 135 games for the Houston Astros the last two seasons. Of course, his most notable moment during that span came when Nick singled off of him in a meaningless Game 162, and he proceeded to break his hand punching a locker. Maton would miss the entirety of the Astros playoff run, which culminated in them defeating the Phillies in six games in the World Series.
Meanwhile, Junis posted a 3.87 ERA and 3.74 FIP in 40 games for the San Francisco Giants in 2022. The 31-year-old would probably primarily be an option out of the bullpen, but the fact that he’s made 21 starts over the last two seasons is likely appealing to a Phillies team thin on depth beyond their five projected starters.
In the last two weeks, Josh Hader (Houston Astros), Jordan Hicks (Giants), David Robertson (Texas Rangers) and Héctor Neris (Chicago Cubs) have all come off the board, leaving the Phillies to search through the second or even third tier of relievers as they try to make up for the workload that Craig Kimbrel — now a Baltimore Oriole — was responsible for a season ago.
José Alvarado, Seranthony Domínguez, Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm are locks to be in the Opening Day bullpen, and Gregory Soto and Orion Kerkering feel overwhelmingly likely to be as well. That leaves two remaining bullpen spots. Both Andrew Bellatti and Dylan Covey are out of minor-league options, so they would seem to be the favorites for those spots. But if the Phillies sign another veteran option, it might make one of those two a trade or DFA candidate.
