A lot of eyes are going to be on the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen during the 2025 season.
There was some turnover this offseason following the departure of All-Star Jeff Hoffman and deadline acquisition Carlos Estevez. They signed deals with the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals, respectively, in free agency.
To help offset those losses, the team signed former Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano, who was non-tendered earlier in the winter, and veteran swingman Joe Ross.
But, if this unit is going to produce as much as it did in 2024, manager Rob Thomson will be relying on some familiar faces to up their game.
Orion Kerkering is amongst the best young relievers in baseball. Matt Strahm, an All-Star last year, remains in late-inning mix as well.
The player with arguably the most pressure on them to bounce back in 2025 is Jose Alvarado.
Prior to 2024, he had cemented himself as a key part of the team’s plans when finishing out games. He had an impressive 1.74 ERA in 2023, getting the job done whenever his number was called.
That was not the case last summer.
Thomson lost trust in his veteran lefty as he slowly moved down the pecking order in high-leverage situations.
A personal matter led to him leaving the team late in the season to return to Venezuela. Only one appearance was made in the postseason and it was during mop-up duty when the Phillies were already four runs behind.
Trying to figure out how to get back on track, Alvarado got to work on his conditioning early in the offseason by running every day.
He took some time away, spending four days on his boat just fishing and relaxing, and believes it has helped get him ready for the upcoming campaign.
“I feel like I’m stronger than the last few years,” Alvarado said via Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required). “I’m stronger mentally and physically.”
Philadelphia could certainly use a return to form from their veteran to help compensate for the production that was lost in free agency.
Thus far in spring training, he looks to be back on track.
Through two appearances, he has thrown two shutout innings, striking out for batters and allowing one hit.
What has aided in this impressive turnaround?
Alvarado has expanded his pitching arsenal, becoming tougher for hitters to beat.
“Because the hitter, he knows Alvarado is coming with a sinker and cutter,” Alvarado said. “Now, I want to show the hitter I have four pitches. When I have an 0-2 count or 1-2 count, I want the hitter to think about it. ‘Oh s—. What’s coming? Fastball, curveball, cutter, sinker.’ And that’s the difference.”
Keeping hitters off balance is key to him finding success out of the bullpen.
By doubling his repertoire, he becomes that much more difficult to figure out, which should lead to better results after a down 2024 campaign.