The Philadelphia Phillies have only made one move in free agency as of Thursday afternoon, but it was one of the biggest ones they needed to make. Dave Dombrowski signed Kyle Schwarber to a five-year deal worth $150 million after agreeing to the deal on Dec. 8.
While there are multiple areas the team needs to add to in order to build a World Series contender, there are also some players who could leave via trade. In his latest report, MLB inside Jeff Passan believes one pitcher on the outside looking in is reliever Matt Strahm.
“The biggest winners of the winter thus far have been relief pitchers,” Passan wrote for ESPN. “An array of left-handers, from Sean Newcomb to Taylor Rogers to Danny Coulombe, could be snatched up soon, though the best available one is Matt Strahm, who is likely to be traded by Philadelphia.”
Strahm was a dominant reliever for the Phillies last season. He pitched in 66 games and recorded a 2.74 ERA for Philadelphia with 70 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP. His past two seasons have the best of his career as he was a 2024 All-Star with the Phillies and finished that season with a 1.87 ERA.
Almost every team would love to have an additional left-handed reliever that has the experience and performs the way Strahm does. The Phillies know, if they do get into serious trade talks, could create a bidding war among teams trying to acquire him. The thinning reliever market in free agency also helps their cause.
Strahm is playing on a vested option next year valued at $7.5 million, according to Spotrac. He is heading into a contract year and will look to replicate his numbers over the past two seasons before hitting free agency.
The Phillies could start to see a major uptick in phone calls from teams trying to land him.
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