Phillies Miss On Potential Bullpen Target

A Philadelphia Phillies bullpen target is off the board as Phil Maton has agreed to a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, as first reported by MLB.com. The Phillies were one of several teams that had reportedly expressed some interest in Maton, who is entering his age 31 season and hit free agency for the first time after nearly three seasons with the Houston Astros. The terms of Maton’s deal with the Rays are not known. He played on a $2.5 million deal with Houston in 2023 in his final season of arbitration.

Maton was a workhorse for the Astros, and that’s a quality the Phillies could have used if they had been able to bring him to Philly. The right-hander made 135 appearances with the Astros in 2022 and 2023, maintaining an ERA below 4.00 and finishing 2023 with a 3.00 ERA, the second-lowest single-season ERA of his career (2.92, Cleveland, 2019). In 2023 he went 4-3 and struck out 10 hitters per nine innings for the second straight season. He takes a career 10.3 strikeout rate with him to Tampa. He also won a World Series ring at Philadelphia’s expense in 2022.

The Phillies’ biggest hole at the moment is in the bullpen at closer. Craig Kimbrel, last year’s closer, signed with Baltimore. It’s not clear who the Phillies will turn to, but they have options. José Alvarado has 32 career saves and 97 career holds. Seranthony Dominguez has 42 career saves, all with the Phillies, and 27 career holds. Gregory Soto, who joined the Phillies last season, has 53 career saves in five MLB seasons, along with 39 holds.

The Phillies could even turn to rookie Orion Kerkering, who showed promise in a set-up role after he was called up last September and he stayed on the Phillies’ postseason roster.