Phillies bullpen is set for a complete overhaul and all things considered, it should be absolute filth come October

Say goodbye to mop-up duty with Max Lazar and Alan Rangel. The Phillies bullpen is about to look a whole lot different and way more dangerous.

After getting shelled by the White Sox on Wednesday, with Lazar coughing up six runs and Seth Johnson tossing gasoline on the fire, things didn’t seem so bad knowing that Dave Dombrowski finally said “enough” and went big-game hunting to acquire Jhoan Duran ahead of today’s 6PM trade deadline.

Jhoan Duran alone is a move that changes everything.

The Phillies are now gearing up for a full-blown bullpen transformation heading into the stretch run, and if the plan plays out like it looks on paper, this group could go from a disaster to Red October-ready in a matter of weeks.

Phillies finalize trade for Jhoan Duran in exchange for 2 top prospects

An Actual Closer: Jhoan Duran

He’s not “the guy who might close.” He is the closer.

For the first time in years, the Phillies are ditching the closer-by-committee nonsense and handing the ball to a monster with a 101 MPH fastball and a splitter/sinker hybrid pitch called a splinker that breaks hitters’ brains.

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Duran has a 2.01 ERA and ridiculous splits against both lefties and righties. He’s the real deal. Meanwhile, Jordan Romano’s time is just about up. His 6.81 ERA and “please don’t melt down” energy have no place on a playoff team. DFA incoming.

LH Setup: Matt Strahm

Strahm has quietly been nails against lefties, holding them to a .208 average and zero home runs. He’s staying put in a late-inning role and might be Duran’s go-to wingman in October.

RH Setup: Orion Kerkering

He’s been up and down at times, but Kerkering leads the current bullpen with a 2.72 ERA and still flashes elite stuff. Expect to see him a lot in the 6th–8th innings when games are tight.

LH Specialist: Jesús Luzardo

When Aaron Nola returns from his rehab starts, Luzardo slides to the bullpen, and it might be the best thing for everyone. Luzardo’s been inconsistent as a starter, but his raw stuff plays perfectly in a 1–2 inning burst.

With José Alvarado ineligible for the playoffs, this is your playoff lefty weapon. Seth Johnson should be headed back to Triple-A any minute now.

RH Specialist: David Robertson

40 years old and still bringing the noise. Robertson is ramping up in Triple-A and should be added to the big-league roster by August 5th, per Matt Gelb. He’ll slot into a high-leverage righty role and bring a much-needed veteran edge.

Alan Rangel… thanks for eating innings, but it’s back to the minors.

Middle Relief (Temporary): José Alvarado

Yes, he’s banned from the postseason, but until then, Alvarado is going to help the Phillies get there. They should run him out to the mound as much as possible. I don’t care if his arm falls off or he literally dies on the mound, Jose Alvarado is nothing more than the Phillies puppet after what he did to this team.

He returns from suspension on August 18th, and despite missing time, he’s still one of the nastiest lefties in the game posting a 2.70 ERA, 25 strikeouts, just 4 walks. Max Lazar, fresh off giving up half a dozen runs in Chicago, will likely hang around until then, unless someone else implodes first.

Middle Relief: Tanner Banks

Banks doesn’t light up the radar gun or get much love, but he’s been sneaky reliable all year. His 3.23 ERA over a team-leading 47.1 innings has kept him safe from the Dombrowski axe. He stays.

Long Man by Default: Taijuan Walker

Andrew Painter is coming. He looked sharp in his latest outing, and both he and Walker pitched Wednesday, which sets up the obvious switch. Once Painter joins the rotation, Walker heads back to the bullpen as a long-man and emergency starter, which might be his best (and only) fit anyway.

Daniel Robert? 5.79 ERA. See ya.

The Phillies Bullpen, September 2025:

• Jhoan Duran
• Matt Strahm
• Orion Kerkering
• Jesús Luzardo
• David Robertson
• José Alvarado (until postseason)
• Tanner Banks
• Taijuan Walker

The Phillies Bullpen is now Elite.

For the first time in what feels like forever, Philly has a bullpen that can close out real October games without giving everyone in the Delaware Valley a heart attack.

It’s about time.

Now, we need one more move from Dave Dombrowski ahead of today’s 6PM deadline. Ideally, that will be a right-handed power bat to solidify the outfield.

Land the plane, Dave! Land. The. Plane!

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