The Philadelphia Phillies are adding Archie Bradley to bolster their bullpen that’s struggled over the years.
If there’s one thing that’s held back the Philadelphia Phillies from reaching the postseason, it was their bullpen. Not even a managerial switch from Gabe Kapler to Joe Girardi could help the current relief squad improve, and they’ve received comically bad results. The Phillies acquired closer Jose Alvarado in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this offseason and have now made another move to bolster the bullpen.
According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, the Phillies have signed former Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds reliever Archie Bradley. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that the deal is for one year, worth $6 million.
The Phillies have prioritized fixing their bullpen woes
The signing of Bradley comes after Liam Hendriks signed a $54 million contract with the Chicago White Sox and Pedro Baez agreed to terms with the Houston Astros.
Bradley had spent the majority of his career with the Diamondbacks, the team that selected him seventh overall in the 2011 MLB Draft. He made his debut with Arizona in the 2015 season and became a fan favorite among the Diamondbacks faithful. In fact, he became the first relief pitcher in MLB history to hit a triple in a postseason game during Arizona’s Wild Card series against the Colorado Rockies.
This past season, Bradley’s tenure in Arizona reached its conclusion, as he was traded to the postseason-hopeful Reds for Josh VanMeter and prospect Stuart Fairchild. Bradley appeared in 16 games in total between both teams, where he recorded a 2.95 ERA, 1.091 WHIP and six saves.
The Phillies front office desperately needed to add some solid relievers to their bullpen. This past season, Philadelphia’s relievers had a collective ERA of 7.06. Bradley may not be in the same echelon as a Hendriks, but this is still a solid signing for the Phillies.