The Philadelphia Phillies already have an excellent bullpen. But in Major League Baseball, there's never a time to stop adding relief arms.
With Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm heading to the All-Star Game and José Alvarado having a strong season in the closer role, Philadelphia has a lot of potent weapons to deploy. But in a perfect world, they would have one more righty with experience finishing big games.
It hasn't always appeared that such a righty will be available based on the makeup of the teams expecting to sell. But one more team appears to be nearing a sale, and a righty on that team's roster could be the perfect Phillies addition.
According to a trade deadline news roundup from Ken Rosenthal, Katie Woo, and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, the Tampa Bay Rays will be one of the teams whose buy/sell decision will have the most impact on the league as a whole.
"The next two to three weeks are their playoffs — or at least, a critical period in determining whether they will continue pushing for the actual postseason, or continue trading off parts," the article said.
If the Rays do sell, the authors concluded that Pete Fairbanks, the Rays' current closer, would be available for the right price. Fairbanks, who is 14-for-16 in save opportunities this season, is under team control through the 2026 season.
Fairbanks is an ideal fit for what the Phillies currently seek. He's had at least a share of the Rays' closer duties in each of the past three seasons, totaling 47 saves. He has a career 3.22 ERA and 2.87 FIP, with the nasty stuff to match the numbers.
With his extreme overhand arm slot, Fairbanks is a perfect compliment to Hoffman and Orion Kerkering among the righties currently in the Phillies' bullpen. With one extra weapon to deploy, Rob Thomson could breathe easier at the end of tight games down the stretch.
Ultimately, it comes down to the Rays. If they do end up selling, there should be no reason the Phillies don't at least make a serious run at acquiring such a potent relief weapon.
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