Phillies Insider Delivers Concerning Update on Bullpen Outlook

If the Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen doesn’t improve over the next few months, this team shouldn’t expect to find much success in the long term. The Phillies have been playing decent baseball, sitting at 13-9 and just two games out in the National League East, but the bullpen has been a massive issue, something that was avoidable if the front office did what they had to do during the offseason. Instead, the Phillies allowed Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman to walk, losing two of their top right-handed bullpen options. As a result, the Phillies currently have the second-worst bullpen ERA in Major League Baseball at 5.81. The unit has also allowed 11 home runs, which ranks in the top seven in Major League Baseball. Looking for options, which will likely come internally unless the Phillies make a surprising trade in the next few days, Matt Gelb of The Athletic named Brett de Geus as someone who could come up. “Brett de Geus, a waiver claim from the Marlins, has drawn decent reviews while at Triple A. He pitched two more scoreless innings Sunday with a fastball that averaged 96 mph. But de Geus has a 7.48 ERA in 61 1/3 career big-league innings. “Whoever the Phillies summon from the minors is not stepping into a high-leverage role.

Thomson has to squeeze something from this group,” Gelb wrote. Geus has been around the league a bit in his young career, after being drafted in the 33rd round of the 2017 MLB Draft. However, after a brutal performance in 2024, posting a 7.15 ERA in 11.1 innings, it’s tough to say the Phillies should give him an opportunity. If they want this thing to be fixed, it’ll likely be through a trade, which might have to happen sooner rather than later.