PHILADELPHIA – When the Phillies signed right-hander Brad Keller on Thursday to a two-year, $22 million contract, an obvious questioned followed:
Where did they get the money for another late-inning reliever?
Sources had said since the Winter Meetings that while the Phillies still planned to re-sign catcher J.T. Realmuto, they were mostly finished spending in free agency. In that sense, Keller seemed like a splurge -- especially after they signed right fielder Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million deal on Tuesday -- considering they already had closer Jhoan Duran; left-handers José Alvarado, Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks; and right-hander Orion Kerkering returning in the bullpen.
But the Keller deal made more sense on Friday, when the Phillies traded Strahm to the Royals for right-hander Jonathan Bowlan. Strahm will be paid $7.5 million next season. Bowlan, who has less than a year of MLB service time, will be paid around the league minimum ($780,000).
The trade should give the Phillies more payroll flexibility to re-sign Realmuto, and possibly add a right-handed-hitting outfielder to platoon with Brandon Marsh in left field, although the Phillies have consistently touted Otto Kemp’s ability to do the job.
Cot’s Contracts projects the Phillies’ 2026 payroll for luxury tax purposes to be $301 million – without Realmuto – which is $3 million shy of the fourth Competitive Balance Tax threshold. Currently, at $301 million, the Phils will be paying more than $39 million in penalties.
They will pay a 110 percent tax on every dollar they spend over $303 million.
Strahm, 34, went 17-10 with a 2.71 ERA in 188 appearances over three seasons with the Phillies. He recorded the save in the NLDS-clinching victory over the Braves in 2023. He made the 2024 NL All-Star team.
Strahm connected with Phillies fans, donating time, gloves and even a scoreboard to the Newtown Edgmont Little League Challenger Angels, a special needs program that plays every Sunday in Delaware County.
But Strahm’s relationship with the organization might have frayed over time. He said after Game 4 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium, where Kerkering panicked and made a wild throw to home plate to end the series, that the team never did PFPs (pitchers fielding practice) during the season.
“We did plenty and actually as it turns out we did do PFPs in the postseason,” Dombrowski said a week later. “He didn’t do them. OK? But we did.”
“We did do PFPs during the break,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “It was a long PFP. But again, me or nobody else can simulate that [Kerkering] situation. Bobble, bases loaded, 55,000 people, tie game, extra innings. We could hit him that ball 1,000 times, he’ll make the play. But you can’t simulate all the other things. So just keep working. Try to get better. But we did do PFPs.”
Bowlan, 29, made a career-high 34 appearances (one start) with Kansas City this year. He posted a 3.86 ERA in 44 1/3 innings with a 1.22 WHIP and a 25.6 percent strikeout rate. Bowlan held right-handed hitters to a .182 average.