Book It: The Phillies will pick up José Alvarado’s club option

I really don’t agree with this prediction because I hold a mean grudge and I’m a spiteful asshole but the Philadelphia Phillies are absolutely picking up José Alvarado’s club option.

Trust me, I get it. I thought it was weird that Phillies fans were so quick to forgive José Alvarado after his disastrous 2025 season. We’re talking an 80-game PED suspension, a forearm injury, and zero postseason availability for a bullpen that desperately needed him.

Jose Alvarado, intentional or not, disappeared when the Phillies needed him most. Of course there’s a million other reasons why the Phillies fell short again in the NLDS but you’d be a fool to not direct a good portion of that frustration at Alvarado.

The problem however, is that this organization really can’t use last year as their reason to not bring him back next year. In fact, it would be one of the dumbest decisions ever if they did.

With all the faults within the organization, I just find it extremely hard to believe that the Phillies, in any circumstance, would allow a left handed reliever who regularly hits 100 mph on the radar gun walk away to save $9 million.

It’s just not going to happen, so for the weirdos who gave this man a standing ovation, congratulations, your unwarranted love affair with Alvarado will continue.

The José Alvarado Experience

Jose Alvarado has been chaos in cleats since the day he showed up from Tampa Bay back in 2020. Some nights he looks like the most unhittable pitcher on the planet. Other nights, he looks like he’s throwing a baseball into a hurricane.

Can’t argue the fact that when he is right, he’s the kind of weapon that wins baseball games, no matter the month. From 2022 to 2023, Jose Alvarado was one of the most dominant relievers in all of Major League Baseball. He posted a 1.74 ERA, 14.3 K/9, and hitters looking like they’d never seen a sinker move before.

Alvarado was the guy Rob Thomson trusted when everything was on the line. Then 2024 happened, and it all went sideways. His strikeout rate dropped, the walks climbed back up, and the command vanished.

The 2025 suspension just poured gasoline on the fire, obviously, but there’s no denying the raw stuff from Alvarado. His fastball velocity sat in the 99th percentile this year. He’s 30 and even with the PED weight loss, he’s built like a defensive end. When his mechanics are right, he’s almost impossible to square up.

Why the Phillies won’t let Jose Alvarado walk

The market stinks.

It’s really that simple. Left-handed relievers are basically gold in MLB right now, and the free-agent class isn’t inspiring. You’ve got Hoby Milner (35), Danny Coulombe (36), and Brooks Raley (38).

They look like nice guys, I guess. Probably all solid pros too. Those three can’t make opposing hitters miss bats like Jose Alvarado and honestly, they aren’t even close.

If you want to talk the numbers behind the market value, we can do that too. Spotrac has the rare-lefty at around $11.5 million. They know how valuable an arm like Alvarado is and significantly higher than what the Phillies would have to pay him just to stick around for another year.

I like to think I’m a baseball savant but at the end of the day, when you look at the market and the money behind it, this was the easiest prediction I have probably ever made. There’s literally zero risk in bringing him back. We’re talking a short-term, high-upside bet on a guy who’s proven he can dominate when healthy.

The Phillies are going to pay Jose Alvarado $9 million to see if the 2023 version of him still exists. If he gives you even league-average numbers, that’s a win.

Matt Strahm can’t do it alone, and there’s nobody in the system ready to take that role tomorrow. The front office knows it, Thomson knows it, and if we’re being real, Alvarado knows it too.

Book it.

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