Following the Phillies 60-game 2020 season, the team finished with the worst combined bullpen ERA in the sport in the last 90 years at 7.06. Even those who aren’t familiar with statistics can recognize the atrocity in the one the Phillies accomplished just two seasons ago. So, in the offseason heading into ‘21, the organization knew they had to bolster the bullpen and do what they could to fix the issue. Arguably, the Phillies biggest addition to the bullpen that offseason was the signing of relief pitcher Archie Bradley on a 1yr/$6M deal. 

Philadelphia had high expectations for Archie upon his arrival, considering he was the biggest implementation to a glaring hole on the team. Many expected him to take on the role of the closer. He’d been around the block for a few years, since 2015, and earned the league’s respect out of the pen, carrying a career ERA of just under 4. Most of his time was spent in Arizona since his rookie season, where he became a fan favorite. When the Phillies traveled to the Diamondbacks’ Chase Field in August, Bradley got a standing ovation from the hometown crowd for his time spent there. Most memorably, Archie hit a two RBI triple in the 2017 NL Wild Card Game for Arizona, as a relief pitcher.At the beginning of the year, Archie was mediocre at best along with the rest of the bullpen. It seemed like things hadn’t changed much for the Phillies’ relievers since ‘20 by the time Archie hit the IL for over a month between April and May due to an oblique strain. When Archie returned and settled into his rhythm, the Phillies began to win some baseball games and reached first place by early August. Manager Joe Girardi hit a groove calling his players out of the pen in order, utilizing Neris in the 7th inning, Archie Bradley in the 8th, and then Ian Kennedy in the 9th to close. Though the Phillies ultimately fell short last year, that combination of relievers did experience success for a period, and Bradley deserves some of that credit. He finished with a 3.71 ERA in 2021, making up for early season disappointment. Archie was an energizer for the Phillies out of the pen, but he was expensive last year in a relatively limited role. Archie’s status is currently a Free Agent as MLB’s player lockout remains in effect.

Odubel Herrera was selected by the Phillies in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft, when thereafter, he quickly established himself as a starter for the team in 2015, hitting nearly .300 on the year. Philadelphia was in a low organizational spot in ‘15, so they saw Herrera’s limited success that year atop the lackluster lineup as potential for sustained success moving forward. He, along with former Phillies 3B Maikel Franco, 2B Cesar Hernandez, and SP Aaron Nola were supposed to be the young and potent ‘core’ that ball-clubs desire during a rebuilding phase. Unfortunately, they never found success with those pieces. Franco and Hernandez were gone by the end of the ‘18 season, while Herrera and Nola remained. Herrera saw a steady decline in batting average every year since ‘15, reaching his lowest mark of .220 by mid-2019. Although, he was hitting for more power with bolstered homerun numbers, launching a career high of 22HR in ‘18. He was the Phillies’ lone All-Star in 2016 and arguably could have been one in 2018 as well.

In mid-2019, Odubel Herrera committed a despicable domestic assault against his 20-year old girlfriend at an Atlantic City nightclub. The Phillies released the criminal and scandalous Odubel promptly, so he didn’t play professional baseball in 2020. Despite several Phillies not wanting to share a locker room with Herrera for what he did, the organization didn’t have much of a choice in 2021 with a roster hole in center field, so they re-signed Odubel. Some argued he had ‘paid his dues’ after serving a league suspension and attending legal rehabilitation. He quickly outplayed his competition by mid-spring and earned a starting role once again in the outfield. He did have somewhat of a comeback year, hitting .260 with 13HR for Philly, and filling that outfield void. His most memorable moment of the year came at Nationals Park, when he tied the game for the Phils with a solo homerun off of CL Brad Hand, with 2 outs in the 9th. 

Odubel deserves credit for a respectable job in center field in 2021, but he still remains a controversial athlete in this city for domestic violence. If that weren’t a factor, he would likely be brought back – but it’s reality, so his future in Philly remains undetermined in ‘22 as the MLB player lockout remains in effect. Many are hoping the Phillies sign a stronger outfielder than what Odubel can provide, like Kyle Schwarber or Nick Castellanos.