As the MLB Postseason continues, the Philadelphia Phillies are at home watching and trying to figure out what will be next for the franchise.
While making the playoffs was a great accomplishment for the fifth straight season, another early elimination is frustrating. The Phillies are a team that has really struggled in the postseason the last three seasons.
Now, with an aging core and some seemingly really bad contracts on the books, this offseason is going to be a pivotal one for Philadelphia to get right.
As the team will look for ways to improve, their needs will pretty much be the same as last offseason. The Phillies are going to need to upgrade a bullpen that really struggled down the stretch, and the manager, Don Mattingly, had very little confidence in. Furthermore, the team will likely also be seeking some offensive help in their outfield with the expectation that Bryce Harper will move back to first base.
As the Phillies start to prepare for the offseason, one player that makes a ton of sense for them to pursue in free agency is veteran right-hander Paul Sewald.
With a need to improve the bullpen and find a way to get the ball to Jhoan Duran to close out games, the veteran right-hander makes sense. Last season, it was a tale of two campaigns for Sewald.
He started the season with the Arizona Diamondbacks and simply did not pitch well for them. In 39 innings for the Diamondbacks, he totaled a 6.23 ERA and was ultimately traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Following the trade, he was a completely different pitcher and a really productive one for the Blue Jays out of the bullpen. In 17 games and 14.1 innings pitched, he totaled a 0.63 ERA.
Bullpen arms in middle relief can be a bit flukey at times, but Sewald is a veteran who has pitched for a lot of different teams and can be effective. While he might not be a high-leverage arm like in the eighth inning to set up Duran, he can help bridge the gap.
While Sewald makes a lot of sense for the Phillies to pursue, more will certainly be needed. This was a bullpen that seemingly fell apart at the end of last season, and it should have a different look next season if Philadelphia is going to be a better team.
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