Acquiring Relief Pitcher Should Be Top Priority for Phillies at Trade Deadline

The Philadelphia Phillies have been playing quite well in May, with the team making a push for first place in the National League East.

Even though there have been some early-season ups and downs, the Phillies are right where they want to be in the middle of the month. With Philadelphia right on the heels of the New York Mets in the NL East, the team is pushing forward and playing well.

While the Phillies might be one of the best teams in the NL, they are far from perfect.

So far this year, they have had some issues with one of their best starters, the depth of their lineup, and the bullpen.

Some of these issues are nothing new for Philadelphia, but as a hopeful contender, improvements in certain areas might need to be made.

Where Should the Phillies Look to Upgrade?

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the Phillies’ need to pursue some additional help for a bullpen that has had some issues this season.

“Southpaws José Alvarado and Matt Strahm have been reliable late-inning options, and offseason addition Jordan Romano is rounding into form, but the bullpen as a whole needs at least one more high-leverage arm to lean on to make a title push.”

One of the reasons for the recent strong stretch of baseball has been the improved performance of the bullpen, with most notably Jordan Romano pitching better.

The right-hander was brought in to be an All-Star caliber closer for the team, and he has started to look like that in May. However, his struggles in April can’t and won’t be forgotten.

Furthermore, while Matt Strahm and Jose Alvarado have pitched well overall, they have seen a little dip in their production this month.

The bullpen has always been a hot topic for Philadelphia and has continued to be so far this year.

Due to struggles in the postseason in recent years, the Phillies need to make sure that it isn’t the bullpen that holds them back.

As the trade deadline approaches, the team should certainly be aggressive to try and improve the unit. Hopefully, over the next couple of months, Romano will be able to continue to pitch well and solidify his role as the closer.

However, adding another high-leverage relief pitcher to provide insurance and help bridge the gap would be a strong addition.

If Romano continues to be inconsistent and struggles, adding a closer will be an expensive proposition for Philadelphia in the trade market. However, as a team that is expected to contend, they will likely have to do whatever is necessary with their window of opportunity to win possibly closing a bit.