Phillies’ offseason bullpen heist from Royals is looking like an all-time steal

Whenever someone elects to praise the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen, they usually end up singling out All-Star closer Jhoan Duran for good reason. The “Durantula” is simply one of the best closers in baseball, whether you’re focusing on his run-prevention skills (1.43 ERA) or his comical ability to pile up strikeouts (40.7% K rate).

The rest of the relief corps isn’t quite as celebrated, despite the excellent work Tim Mayza and Orion Kerkering have given Don Mattingly this year. However, beyond even that next tier of reliever rests Jonathan Bowlan, who is currently the second-most valuable Phillies bullpen arm according to fWAR (0.8).

Bowlan was acquired in an unpopular offseason trade with the Kansas City Royals, wherein fan favorite pitcher Matt Strahm was dealt in order to clear up salary on the payroll. A former second-round pick, the right-hander hadn’t done much in the majors prior to the trade.

And yet, here we are at the end of the first half, with Bowlan emerging as a true high-leverage option for Mattingly out of the bullpen.

Jonathan Bowlan has given Phillies much-needed relief weapon to pair with Jhoan Duran

Very little compares to the elite production of Duran, but Bowlan has exploded onto the scene in his first season in Philadelphia. The 29-year-old’s Baseball Savant page is nearly as dark red as his teammate’s, as he ranks in the 90th percentile or above in expected ERA, expected batting average against, whiff rate, strikeout rate, walk rate, and barrel rate. In other words, he’s doing basically everything well.

There we some lofty expectations for Bowlan in the preseason, though almost no one could have expected that he’d throw fewer sinkers in favor of a suddenly dominant four-seamer. And yet, that primary heater has been one of the most valuable in baseball, coaxing a 41.1% whiff rate and .146 batting average out of opposing hitters.

In even better news, because he spent so little time in Kansas City prior to be traded, he’s under team control for a long time to come. The Phillies will have him under a pre-arb salary until 2029, and he can’t become a free agent until after the 2031 season. Bowlan is officially a long-term weapon for a relief corps that could lose Duran after next year to free agency.

All the while, Strahm is really struggling with the Royals. After three consecutive stellar seasons with the Phillies, he’s fallen apart this year, posting a 5.40 ERA and -0.9 fWAR with his new team.

Trading away a declining reliever at the exact right time for a star on the rise? That’s just plain good business by the front office, and part of why the Phillies’ bullpen has been able to succeed even on days when Duran doesn’t pitch.