Royals should have plenty of trade regret as Phillies reliever continues to shine

The Royals’ bullpen has declined significantly since last season for a number of reasons. You could blame injuries, bad luck, roster construction, and player decisions as part of the equation for the regression of the pen. This was a unit that ranked 7th in bullpen ERA and 3rd in left-on-base % in 2025, but 29th in K/9. One of the ways the Royals thought they could improve the pen was bringing in more veteran arms.

The idea made sense for a team that narrowly missed the postseason in 2025, and felt like they were a few peices away from having a dominant bullpen. Nick Mears was brought in from Milwaukee, and Alex Lange was signed as a free agent to bolster the bullpen and give the Royals some help in high-leverage situations. The Royals’ biggest acquisition, and one that was applauded at the time, was the trade for All-Star reliever Matt Strahm, sending former 2018 second-rounder Jonathan Bowlan to the Phillies.

Bowlan was a part of the heralded 18′ draft class that saw the Royals select five college arms to try and jumpstart a rebuild after the championship window from 2015 slammed shut.

Now that the Mid-Summer classic is just days away, it’s fair to review this trade and wonder what could have been.

Matt Strahm has been a disaster while Jonathan Bowlan has been a stud for Phillies

The aftermath of this trade hits like a ton of bricks when you dive into Strahm and Bowlan’s seasons.

Matt Strahm has struggled in his first season back in Kansas City since he was originally drafted by this organization in 2012 out of Neosho Community College.

In his age-33 season, Strahm is having career-worst numbers across the board. He’s never been able to get into a rhythm on the mound, dealing with knee inflammation that landed him on the IL, derailing a solid start for Strahm.

When Strahm was placed on IL on May 15, he had a 3.86 ERA (although a 4.88 FIP told the real story) in 16.1 innings.

Since he returned from the IL on June 2nd, it’s been a comedy of errors for Strahm. There was a stretch where he gave up home runs in four straight appearances including five of his first six appearances.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Bowlan looks like a solid bullpen piece for the Phillies’ future. He’s enjoying a breakout season with a 2.93 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 30.2 innings.

The Royals viewed him as a starter early in his pro career, making 77 starts across the Royals’ minor leagues. They transitioned him to the bullpen full-time in 2025, and it looked like he would settle into that role.

The Royals never gave Bowlan a long enough look at the major league level, optioning him back to Triple-A Omaha eight different times last year.

Strahm was supposed to ease the sting of losing a guy that was brought up in our system and finally producing. Instead the Royals are eating the raw end of the deal and suffering through a lost season.

Bowlan was always viewed as a guy whose stuff could play up in a late-inning role. He was throwing 95-96 mph with the Royals last season, but is now averaging 97.3 mph with his fastball putting him in the 90th percentile in baseball.

Bowlan has worked in more offspeed offerings this season compared to last year. He only threw 61 changeups in 2025, but has already thrown 68 so far this season. He also added a sweeper into his pitch mix this year which has made his fastball more effective.

The Phillies are 54-43 and currently hold the second wild card spot in the National League. Their bullpen ranks first in the MLB with a 10.04 K/9 and 8th in FIP. Bowlan’s 11.15 K/9 is a career-high mark for the 29-year-old and has the fifth-most innings pitched out of the bullpen for the Phillies.

He’s been a major part of the rebuild of their bullpen and the Royals have been left with a borderline unusable arm of late. Not exactly how J.J. Picollo and Co. imagined this deal going this winter.