With pitchers and catchers set to report soon for the Philadelphia Phillies, a long offseason is nearly over.
Coming into the winter, the Phillies appeared like a team that could have seen significant change. However, the organization likely made the correct decision to do anything drastic and instead built on what they had.
They were able to address three key needs this offseason with the signings of Max Kepler for the outfielder, Jordan Romano at closer, and the trade for Jesus Luzardo to replace Taijuan Walker.
While the addition of Romano at the closer spot was very important for Philadelphia to have, they lost both Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman in free agency this winter.
Both of those pitchers were good for the Phillies in 2024 and while their new closer has All-Star upside, losing two talented relievers is never a good thing.
The expectation is that Orion Kerkering will be taking a step forward into a high leverage role to help ease those losses. Kerkering was very impressive in 2024 and certainly deserves a chance to prove himself in a larger role.
However, adding another veteran presence in the middle innings wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Phillies at this point. Relief pitching has been a sore spot for them in recent years and added depth can’t hurt.
Chad Jennings of The Athletic recently predicted that the Phillies would sign veteran relief pitcher Hector Neris to provide another veteran arm for their bullpen.
It has been a number of years since Neris was on Philadelphia, but the veteran pitcher is familiar with Philadelphia. The 35-year-old started his career with the Phillies back in 2014 and pitched eight seasons for the team.
Over that span, he totaled a 3.42 ERA and saved 84 games for them. Even though there were some tough years in Philadelphia, the overall tenure was a good one for Neris.
Last year, the veteran right-hander pitched for both the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros. He saw a good amount of time as the closer for the Cubs, who didn’t have the strongest bullpen.
In 2024, he totaled a 10-5 record, 4.10 ERA and 18 saves. The number of decisions that he factored in with Chicago was a wild stat for someone who came out of the bullpen, with him going 8-4 on the Cubs.
Even though he is by no means a star reliever, Neris working in the sixth or seventh inning for Philadelphia wouldn’t be a bad thing considering his experience in high-leverage spots.
