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.