The Phillies aren’t wasting any time reshaping the bullpen, and Friday brought in Kyle Backhus from the D-Backs in a small but telling move in what’s clearly a bigger picture plan.

A few hours after shipping Matt Strahm out of town and a day after locking up Brad Keller, the Phillies added left-handed reliever Kyle Backhus in a trade with the Diamondbacks, sending minor league outfielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu to Arizona.

Owusu-Asiedu checked in at No. 27 on the D-backs’ Top 30 prospect list, so this isn’t nothing, but it’s also not a move meant to grab headlines.

Phillies acquire Kyle Backhus from the Arizona Diamondbacks

This is about depth, matchups, and optionality.

Kyle Backhus is a sidearming lefty who gives hitters a completely different look than most bullpen arms. He throws a low-90s sinker with a sweeping breaking ball and a changeup, and his delivery is about as uncomfortable as it gets.

Among more than 500 pitchers who threw at least 400 pitches this season, Backhus had one of the lowest release points in baseball. The Phillies are clearly betting on deception.

Kyle Backhus made his MLB debut this past season and logged 32 relief appearances, finishing with a 4.62 ERA across 25 1/3 innings. The surface numbers are fine, not flashy, but the splits tell the real story.

Left-handed hitters barely touched him, batting .139 with a .503 OPS. Right-handed hitters, on the other hand, crushed him.

That alone tells you exactly how the Phillies plan to use him if he sticks.

With Strahm gone and Brad Keller added, the Phillies bullpen picture is coming into focus. The core group appears set with Jhoan Duran closing, Keller and Orion Kerkering handling right-handed leverage spots, and José Alvarado and Tanner Banks as the primary lefties. Jonathan Bowlan is also in the mix after arriving in the Strahm deal.

Backhus now joins a crowded competition for the final bullpen spots heading into spring training. He’ll battle alongside Rule 5 pick Zach McCambley, Yoniel Curet, and a handful of internal arms like Nolan Hoffman, Seth Johnson, and Max Lazar.

Unlike McCambley, Kyle Backhus has options remaining, which matters. The Phillies can shuttle him up and down without burning a roster spot if needed.

That flexibility is the theme here.

Dave Dombrowski made it clear the Phillies believe they have enough arms, both on the major league roster and in the system, to fill out the bullpen without making another splash. Moves like this back that up. They’re collecting different looks, different profiles, and controllable depth, then letting spring training sort out who sticks.

Kyle Backhus may not break camp with the team. He may spend time in Triple-A. Or he may carve out a niche as a specialist who shows up when a lineup turns left-handed. Either way, this is another sign the Phillies are comfortable trading name value for fit, cost control, and flexibility.

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