The Philadelphia Phillies have been pretty active over the last week, making major moves involving former All-Stars and adding pieces that will help the team’s depth overall.
The Phillies needed to address the bullpen this offseason, adding some more depth and high-leverage arms into the mix. Over the last few weeks, the front office has done a solid job at doing that, and has added three new arms to their bullpen.
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With these recent signings and additions, let’s take a look at what Philadelphia’s reliever depth currently looks like after these moves.
MID/SU – Brad Keller* (Free Agent)
MID – Jonathan Bowlan* (Trade)
MID – Zach Pop* (Free Agent)
Oct 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jhoan Duran (59) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth inning during game one of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Nothing should dramatically change in the back end of the bullpen with Jhoan Duran in line to be the team’s closer and Jose Alvarado ready to be the setup man.
The Phillies did sign Brad Keller to a two-year deal, and he represents the most versatility in high-leverage situations.
Keller is coming off a phenomenal year with the Chicago Cubs, where he logged a 2.07 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and even had three saves, too. Philadelphia has its eighth and ninth in a duo with Alvarado and Duran, but in the event one of those pitchers is not available on any given day, Keller could very easily be the team’s setup man for a game or two.
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The other two moves the Phillies recently made were trading for Jonathan Bowlan from the Kansas City Royals for Matt Strahm and signing Zach Pop to a Major League deal. Neither pitcher should move the needle too much in terms of winning a World Series, but they are still nice depth pieces to have on the roster.
Bowlan could end up being an innings eater or have a specialized role when the Phillies are looking for a punchout in the middle innings. The right-hander had a strikeout rate of 25.6 percent and a whiff rate of 33.7 percent in 2025.
Pop is definitely more of a gamblr and project pitcher, as he only pitched in five MLB games last season. However, he does throw some heat with his fastball, which is perhaps what the Phillies see in him.
Overall, the Phillies’ bullpen is in a pretty good spot right now. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the front office add one more veteran arm to this group, but it could also be the core that starts the 2026 season in the bullpen.