Phillies extend veteran reliever

The Phillies announced Sunday morning that they’ve signed left-hander Matt Strahm to a one-year extension. 

The deal comes with a vesting club option for the 2026 campaign. The ACES client had been slated to hit free agency following the 2024 campaign. 

Per a report from MLBTR’s Steve Adams, the deal will guarantee Strahm $7.5M in 2025, and the option will vest for that same amount if he pitches at least 60 innings in 2025.

Strahm, 32, signed a two-year, $15M deal with the Phillies before the 2023 season. His first season in Philadelphia was a resounding success, as he posted a strong 3.29 ERA with a nearly-matching 3.24 FIP in 87 2/3 innings while splitting time between the club’s rotation and bullpen. 

While the southpaw held his own during his time in the club’s rotation with a 4.05 ERA in 33 1/3 innings, he was nothing short of dominant in relief as he posted a sparkling 2.82 ERA while striking out 30.1 percent of batters faced during that time. 

That led the Phillies to look for additional starting pitching depth this winter, in part so they could keep Strahm in a full-time relief role rather than swing him between the rotation and bullpen as dictated by injuries to the club’s starting staff. 

With the club’s offseason signing of right-hander Spencer Turnbull to act as a swingman, Strahm appears poised to have a bullpen-only role for at least the start of the 2024 campaign.

The deal makes plenty of sense for the Phillies, as the club stood to lose not only Strahm but also Turnbull and Jeff Hoffman from its relief corps this winter. 

By extending Strahm, they’ve fortified their bullpen for 2025 and perhaps 2026, allowing the lefty to join the likes of Jose Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez, and Gregory Soto as a late-inning option for at least the next two seasons. 

It’s a bullpen mix that was incredibly productive for Philadelphia last year, as the club’s relief corps ranked seventh in the majors with a 3.58 ERA while the group’s fWAR was only bested by the Dodgers and Orioles.

Of course, the deal isn’t without risk on the part of Philadelphia. After all, Strahm has dealt with plenty of injuries throughout his eight years in the majors. 

The southpaw has a history of knee issues dating back to his time with the Royals back in 2017 when he underwent surgery on his left patella tendon. 

His knee issues lingered over the next several years and he underwent surgery once again as a member of the Padres in 2020, this time on his right patella tendon. 

Aside from that history of knee problems, Strahm has more recently dealt with a wrist issue that left him on the shelf for a month in 2022 while pitching for the Red Sox.

Even with Strahm’s injury history, landing a quality relief arm capable of pitching out of the rotation on a one-year guarantee is a smart move for a Phillies front office that has prioritized continuity this offseason, re-signing Aaron Nola to a seven-year pact back in November while extending ace Zack Wheeler on a three-year, $126M contract earlier this month. 

Had Strahm produced similar results out of the bullpen this year as he did in 2023, it would’ve been reasonable to expect him to slot in toward the top of the left-handed relief market this winter alongside the likes of Tanner Scott and A.J. Minter. 

Teams looking for left-handed bullpen help this coming winter will now have one less option at their disposal, though those aforementioned names as well as veterans such as Aroldis Chapman, Matt Moore and Brooks Raley all figure to provide clubs with plenty of options.