The Phillies’ whirlwind week continued Friday, as the team formally announced a two-year deal with free-agent lefty Matt Strahm. The ACES client will reportedly be guaranteed $15MM on the contract, which was the third free-agent agreement of the week for a Phillies club that also closed deals with shortstop Trea Turner (11 years, $300MM) and right-hander Taijuan Walker (four years, $72MM)
Strahm, 31, pitched the last year with the Red Sox on a one-year, $3MM deal. He tossed 44 2/3 innings of 3.83 ERA ball, striking out batters at a 26.9% clip against an 8.8% walk rate. Strahm had fairly even splits, limiting left-handed hitters to a .229/.333/.354 line while right-handers hit .221/.302/.353. It represented a solid platform year for Strahm, who pitched just 6 2/3 innings for the Padres a year prior.
Initially drafted in the 21st round of the 2012 draft by the Royals, Strahm found his way to the majors in 2016. That year he pitched effectively out of their bullpen, working to a 1.23 ERA across 22 innings while striking out a well above average 34.1% of batters. The strikeouts nosedived in 2017 to 24% and the results followed, as Strahm struggled to a 5.45 ERA in 34 2/3 innings that year before ultimately winding up on the IL for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
While injured, the Royals traded him with Esteury Ruiz and Travis Wood to the Padres at the 2017 deadline in a deal for Trevor Cahill, Ryan Buchter and Brandon Maurer. He wouldn’t pitch for them until 2018, when he threw 61 1/3 innings of 2.05 ERA ball. Strahm saw his strikeout rate tick back up while posting the best walk rate (8.6%) of his career at that point.
The Padres gave him a look as a starter in 2019, and he wound up making 16 starts for the team that year. Those didn’t go so well, as Strahm pitched to a 5.29 ERA. They returned him to the bullpen and Strahm quickly found his groove again, tossing 33 innings of 3.27 ERA relief work in the second half. He continued to provide value for the Padres out of the pen in the shortened 2020 season, working to a 2.61 ERA in 20 2/3 innings.
Injuries plagued his 2021 campaign, as Strahm first dealt with a right patellar tendon repair. He returned in August that year, but a few weeks found himself shut down for the rest of the season with knee inflammation. He went to free agency looking for opportunities to rebuild his value, and found that in the form of a one-year, $3MM deal with the Red Sox. The platform year in Boston went well enough that Strahm now finds himself with a multi-year contract with an AAV of $7.5MM.
Philadelphia’s bullpen was need of a bit of a rebuild after the departures of Corey Knebel, David Robertson and Brad Hand, and there’s every chance Strahm isn’t the only addition they make there. He’ll slot in with the likes of Seranthony Dominguez, Jose Alvarado, Andrew Bellatti and Connor Brogdon in the Phillies bullpen as things stand. It’s also at least possible that he’ll get a look as a starter, as he’s previously voiced a desire to get another rotation opportunity — and the Phillies’ fifth starter spot is at least somewhat up for grabs. Bailey Falter is the in-house favorite, though prospects Andrew Painter, Mick Abel and Griff McGarry aren’t far from MLB readiness.
The addition of Strahm brings the Phillies’ payroll up to about $230MM in terms of actual 2023 salaries, but their luxury-tax ledger (which is based on AAV and also includes player benefits and the team’s payment into the leaguewide pre-arbitration bonus pool) is just shy of $242MM, per Roster Resource. That’s about $8MM over this year’s $233MM threshold, and as a team in line to pay the tax for a second straight season, they’ll pay a 30% tax on the first $20MM by which they exceed that threshold. As it stands, they’re only in line for about $2.7MM worth of penalties, but further roster machinations will alter that outlook.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported that the two sides were close to a deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported they were in agreement on a two-year, $15MM contract.
Dom getting things done…..
Bau
Only slightly envious….
Dombrowski strikes again! At least he’s not trading away valuable prospects to improve; he’s just spending cash, which Middleton has a ton of. Phillies are going all in to try and win it all in 2023. Love to see it! The NL East is going to be a buzzsaw next year.
Meanwhile, here’s how Chaim Bloom stands right now “Zzzzzzz…” Great move, Boston.
Bloom signed Chris Martin. I like him better than Strahm. Also, I was not impressed with Walker last year.
Chris Martin vs Matt Strahm. 1.25M per season more. Martin is the much better deal. Strahm only passed 50 appearances once. Martin’s upside much better.
Martin only twice. I seen Strahm deal out cards only, however I did see Martin pretty much be the Dodgers best relief pitcher once they acquired him. Lights out almost
I’m gonna jump in to agree with the last two. Martin is way better than Strahm.
Trea Turner, Tajuan Walker and now Strahm. Phillies “winning the off-season”
Indeed.
Manny, Halo’s aren’t TOO far behind this off-season thus far!
Winning the offseason never equates to winning the regular season or playoffs
VegasSD, you are preaching to the choir my friend! I always say playoffs are 50-50!
SD is spending like they really want that first ever World Series championship.
That’s true. But they were already good and added to two weak spots.
2017 Astros
Well we beat you and won the NL we just win
“we just win” . . . except when we face a team from the AL in the playoffs.
And the Phillies were the first too beat them lol. You can’t be serious?
How many SS you have now in San Diego?
SD wants 9 shortstops…..the question is which one will pitch…lol
Walker and Strahm are overpays with no track record of success ..
Agree about the overpays, but Walker just had 2 really good seasons and Strahm has been a good left reliever. The track record is there. The Phillies just paid market prices instead of getting a deal.
Castellanos is the overpay and mistake on the phillies payroll. These 2 guys are inning eaters at worse and defiantly worth there price
Ok
Remember when the Reds signed Moose, Shogo and Castellanos and “won the off-season?”
That’s all they won.
Nah mets are and once they get senga watch out
Dombrowski always over pays, but he does get top of the market players. The problem is on the back half of the contract, and it is when the money runs out or budget is maxed…
I mean, he hasn’t been good for a while.. a 1.23 WHIP out of the pen isn’t all that inspiring.
The fact he was looking to be a starter is what surprised me.
Although, I’d be even more surprised if the Phillies started with him in the rotation.
I wouldn’t. His competition for the #5 spot is Bailey Falter. Phils have a late inning lefty in Alvarado, so I think Strahm will get his chance in the rotation if he looks good in spring training.
Falter, Painter, Plassmeyer, Samchez, McGarry, Abel. No, he’s not starting.
Yea. What DarkSide said. No chance he makes the rotation. Phillies have some young SP depth they’re holding on to for mid-season, but before that, Falter, Plassmeyer and Sanchez will hold the fort.
Falter should be the 5th. Great control with solid K numbers. I think not giving him a shot at the 5th slot would be a mistake.
What are his splits though?
He actually has reverse splits for his career. Lefties have hit him better than righties. This is a quite the overpay for a guy that could easily end up with a 4 ERA and a high WHIP. I’d rather take a flier on 2-3 lefties on minor league deals and hope one shines in spring training. I guess if they want him to start, that’s interesting but I don’t thinks favorable either.
Reverse splits are a good thing, with the 3 batter minimum. Useful reliever to fill out a bullpen
He may have pretty even splits but when you look at his stats as a starter vs reliever, it’s comparing a solid lefty reliever to a 6-7 starter.
The deal is great for a lefty in the bullpen, where he does well. The deal isn’t great for a guy who has an era over 5 for a starter because of the unknowns.
Plus why sign a short term deal for a guy you are looking to transition roles? Not doing your org or the player any favors by tossing him into the rotation. Have him as an opener/spot starter when needed, but keep him is a position where he can succeed.
The covid-shortened season was his last solid year, and we have to take that with a grain of salt.
A grain of Malt O Meal
A grain of Cream of Wheat.
Hahaha Jesse, I used to think Cream o Wheat was the best…But then I had Malt O Meal and it changed everything!
He’s bounced around between SP and RP. He was ‘ok’ last year, just keep him in the pen and maybe he turns out better. I think it’s a decent move
Phillies Rangers and Angels show that they are serious and all want to prove themselves next year. White Sox should be on this list in some way (whether it be trades or signings), and unless they want a repeat they better do something.
Wow the Phillies are moving fast and furiously today….. Will they be the Yankees in 2009 or the Rangers in 2022?
Pretty sure they will win over 70 games so not the rangers.
Phillies chill out bruh
Wow , now known as The Philanthropic Phillies
Images of DD “making it rain” standing on a balcony in an event populated by players in uniform…trying to catch a contract……
Given it’s the time of the year for “visions of sugarplumbs danced in their heads” maybe I am not that far off…..
Wow. Slight overpay but still, Phillies are just on an absolute tear. Who’s next? Correa? Judge? I mean, with all this money getting spent…why not?
Come on Mets, do something else, would like to see Senga and Taillon or Manaea Come on lol
Out of those three, I would prefer Senga, possibly Taillon. Senga is riskier with a higher ceiling, Taillon is solid but average. Manaea I want no part of.
Rodon please!! Eppler is lagging behind this offseason
It’s so early in the offseason, and the Mets just got Verlander…they aren’t lagging in the slightest.
Von, i love Verlander but after Max and him, there is just filler!! And we have no bullpen or lineup. 101 wins was an aberration last year. im not an Eppler fan and never will be…..
Carrasco, Megill and Pederson is filler? That bottom of the rotation help carry the Mets in the 1st half last year. Yes, Walker and Bassitt were big parts of that, but Mets are fine. They won 101 games last year. They’ll still get another SP.
until i see Eppler get a true #3 starter, Ottavino/Chafin and a solid bat, im not sold on them this year…. not a fan of Bassitt or Nimmo…Phils and Braves lineups too strong this year
You’re a Mets fan and you don’t like Nimmo? Absurd. All the guy does is get on base. Last I looked, that was preferable to not getting on base.
And his bat is far from a wet noodle. Has some pop, as well. Maybe he’s more of a LF than a CF, but that’s about the only knock on him I’d even dare to bring up. And if I did, it’d be no more than a weak whisper.
Remember Ral Donner’s hit record? “You Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until You Lose It”
Nimmo is a nice player but not at 20 million per year plus…..
Kudos to PHI front office for taking nothing for granted and improving the team for next season. NYM? ALT? Your move
Just looked at his stats and he’s good every other year. It looks like 2023 is supposed to be his down year.
They signed baseball card guy
Pat Neshek?
Oh, Geeze……
Now all the Red Sox “fans” that had nothing but bad things to say about Mr. Strahm this past season will be on here saying bad things about Chaim Bloom for letting him go in free agency……to Dave Dombrowski’s team no less.
Silly Season is soooo funny!
Strahm looked better than he was in ’22 because he was surrounded by so many worse options. 2/15 sounds like an overpay, but, once you look at what contracts are going for this offseason in context it looks like bidenflation has hit here too.
So, looking at all that, I won’t call it overpay, but it will be interesting to see which guy shows up and what PHI coaching can do for him.
Not upset to see him leave at all. He had a decent season for Boston but he was inconsistent. He ended up with 44 IP (50 appearances) with a 3.81 ERA and 0.3 WAR. Paying $7.5M per year for that performance doesn’t seem like a smart usage of money. I’d rather see Boston spend a little more on a Robertson or Jansen type of reliever. Congratulations to Strahm for maximizing his income in free agency. He would have never received this type of money last season; then again you can say that about most free agents who have signed new deals this offseason. What a time to be a MLB player!
Oh Boy looking at his pic. Him and Marsh can sit in the dugout and compare hair shampoo and conditioners that they use.
I don’t think Marsh uses shampoo.
@ham-I notice his hair is always wet or maybe its just oily
His hair has more grease in it then Elvis ever did
The ghost of Elvis is living in his hair.
Walker is a bad signing
@Kyak Agreed. A 100 inning SP, really. 6.00+ ERA after the ASB in 2021. 4.80 ERA after the third week in July in 2022.
Absurd money, really. You might as well go the extra few million by AAV and add a guy you actually want making postseason starts for you.
Holy flippin’ stupid money.
Yeah, that’s a lot of money for a marginal middle reliever. Ottavino licking his chops looking at that deal.
Phils definitely getting better the Turner upgrade at SS is huge! However, Division isn’t won in December. You still have to take the field and play 162.
The Phillies are single handedly escalating player salaries!!
Texas is #2
A player’s market was projected, but yea…this is nuts. 7.5 a year for this fella? I like the addition, but figured he’d be a bit cheaper.
The Padres offered Turner over $40 million
more and Mets $87 million for two years for a guy who’s almost 40. This is the market.
the Rays kicked off this insanity. The RAYS! with mediocre Zach Eflin.
Mets 20 million for a closer……….for 5 years?
Hiring D.D is usually the good way to go if your a owner in search of winning it all.
Fair enough contract in this market but other teams have found better value and with relievers have about as good chance.
I don’t believe in the hope you catch them in a good year but if you look at his era history it suggests a down year.
WTH? 2/15m for THAT GUY??
Every other year is a catastrophe, and he hasn’t actually been good in more than 20 innings since 2018.
You can make the argument that the Mets kicked this off by signing Diaz to a contract that equates to $ 318750 per projected inning in 2023. By comparison to a starter throwing 200 innings, that equates to 63,750,000 per season. In this market, the Phillies are adjusting to the standard set from the beginning.
Guess this means Brad Hand isn’t returning.
Agree. Hand had pretty decent numbers before he got injured. Not the flamethrower he was in his prime, but I never was too nervous when he was called upon. Alvarado? Now that guy makes me hide my face in a pillow.
Alvarado sometimes reminds me of Mitch Williams
I have only seen Strahm pitch a couple of times and was not all that impressed…small sample however. The numbers and approach do not scream out back of the pen arm to me either, but the contract does as a 7th inning type of guy. Looks like more of a swingman; they are gonna’ need another back of the pen arm that they can count on, in addition to filler and depth.
Back of the pen is pretty set with Brogdon, Alvarado and Dominguez. They just need some depth.
And MAYBE Bellati though journeymen relievers are notorious for suddenly getting good one year and going back to oblivion the next.
I left out a “t” in Bellatti.
I love SirAnthony, but worry about his health a bit. Like Brogdon more than many, but he needs to step up with some consistency before he becomes a cog back there. And Alvarado became quite the revelation after years of inconsistency…hence, still worried about him recapturing his form over the whole season.
I would like one more relatively reliable veteran option back there – don’t feel the need to pay for a true closer, but next tier down. And I know that it will cost too much, but one cannot build a really good team and fall down via the pen.
They do have more depth that is in the mix…Bellatti is solid; Nick Nelson; Coonrod and a few other arms that DD seems to like in the minors as he reshuffles the deck. But, to my eyes, Strahm is not enough. This might be where they trade for a piece.
If there’s a red flag with Strahm, it is that he has alternated good years and bad since he arrived in MLB and 2022 was a good year. baseball-reference.com/players/s/strahma01.shtml?u…
More arms please. May I have another?
The Phillies took Noah Song in the Rule 5 Draft.
He has great potential but has been in the military for the last 3 years. He’s raw so would have to have an amazing Spring Training to warrant a spot on the Phillies roster all next season.
I keep seeing “overpay” who cares? The F’n Mets are gonna pay more in tax penalties alone than the entire budget for Oakland and Pittsburgh and the Mets have won NOTHING. Philly got a taste last year, they are hungry to go back and try and win it all. I applaud their front office, their fans should be excited. Only thirsty haters criticizing their moves.
PHI committed to filling any question marks. Should make for a fantastic 2023 for I-95 hardball fans who enjoy taking the trip up or down the turnpike to see meaningful, impactful games. Waiting for ATL to make a significant move – but they are and have been a complete team. PHI probably not done with pen and more. Outside of Senga possible, I expect NYM to make a deal to cover some gaps. A medium leverage arm in pen. And perhaps a mix and match of McCann, Cassasco, Ruf and a prospect in 1 or 2 deals. Have to be impressed by the roster construction PHI has in effect
I liked him a lo for the RS last year, but that was at $3M. I like that he has good L/R splits, so if you have him face a righty, you won’t need to turn the TV off.
A Phillies advent calendar doesn’t have chocolate. It has players
Dombrowski is making all the right news.
Phillies are “all in” to get a repeat run on the World Series in 2023.
I expect more moves to come.
Free agent signings are nice.
But, I am waiting to see what Dombrowski lands in the trade market.
Could Bohn or Hoskins be trade bait to upgrade other areas?!
Bohn to 1B?!
Hoskins trade bait?!
Edmundo Sosa playing 3B?!
That would upgrade their infield defense and
make the Phillies pitching staff even better.
Here we go again with the Bohm to first and trade Hoskins nonsense. The idea is to improve teams, not make them worse. Bohm is worse defensively at first than Hoskins, and Sosa would be such a big offensive improvement???
Lot of money for subpar relief pitchers this year. 0.3 WAR is worth $7.5MM per year!?
well at least he’s not corbin