Archie Bradley's season is likely done for the Philadelphia Phillies, regardless if they make the playoffs. Bradley suffered an oblique injury that landed him on the 10-day injured list last Friday.
It also means that unless the Phillies decide to bring Bradley back next season, his tenure with Philadelphia has come to a close.
But, that is the question: Should the Phillies re-sign Bradley for the 2022 season?
The setup man signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the team last offseason. The hope was that Bradley could help bring some stability to an awful and inconsistent bullpen. For the most part, he did his job this season.
In 53 appearances he posted a 3.71 ERA, but his FIP of 4.43 and WHIP of 1.431 tell a different story. Bradley needed time to regain some of his velocity at the beginning of the season, but when it came back he became more effective.
That same velocity that returned also diminished as the season drew on, calling into question his viability in high-leverage situations moving forward. And yet, manager Joe Girardi still called upon Bradley and his veteran presence late in games.
At 29-years-old, one would think that the pitcher would still have something left in the tank. Bradley, for one, believes he still does.
“I would love to come back here,” Bradley said. “I loved it here. I loved everything about it. I loved the guys. I think when you look at it from a professional standpoint, the core group of guys is here. You look at the rotation coming back next year. The core position players are here. I still consider myself a high-leverage reliever that has more to prove and better days to pitch ahead of him. Not that I pitched bad. I know I am capable of being better."
When looking at the bullpen for next season, it's not hard to see a reunion between the two parties. Héctor Neris very well could walk, Ian Kennedy looks unlikely to stay, and that leaves few options on the current roster to shoulder the workload.
Bradley could be brought back, even if just for lower leverage situations and his leadership capabilities. Clearly the manager enjoys having him around and even depends on him. Add the fact that Bradley wants to be in Philadelphia and you have all the makings of seeing the pitcher once again don the Phillies jersey.
Despite opinions on his 2021 performance, he has been an integral part of a bullpen that has improved from 2020, and has even improved from their early 2021 version of themselves. Bradley played a large part in making it happen.
It is very easy to see Philadelphia once again signing Bradley to another one-year deal this offseason. In fact, it may be the smart play.
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