The Phillies continue to add depth to their bullpen with reportedly agreeing to a deal with right-handed veteran reliever David Hernandez, reported by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. President Andy MacPhail and Director of player development, Joe Jordan drafted Hernandez in 2005, while both of them were with the Orioles. So the trend of bringing in familiar players for the Phillies c0ntinues and hopefully it pays off for them.
Hernandez was drafted as a starter then turned into a reliever in his second season with Baltimore and saw his numbers improve a bit. The 30-year old reliever missed the entire 2014 season with the Diamondbacks due to just having undergone Tommy John Surgery, but was able to return in 2015, making 40 appearances. Hernandez posted a 4.28 ERA in 33 2/3 innings of work, striking out 33 and walking 11. Hernandez could definitely be one of the candidates to step into the role of set-up man because that’s what he’s done a lot of in the past and he’s had a fair amount of success in that kind of role. He also adds a veteran presence to a relatively young Phillies bullpen, that had its ups and downs last year, but certainly has the talent to be one of the Phillies stronger aspects.
None of the free agent signings GM Matt Klentak and the Phillies are going to make this off-season won’t blow anyone away, but all of the signings so far have been quality ones. Having depth all throughout your team is something that shouldn’t be overlooked and having a copious amount of assets could give the Phillies the liberty of flipping a few of them for some younger talent. David Hernandez is another quality signing and can’t wait to see what else Klentak has planned for the rest of the off-season. Keep in the mind the Rule 5 draft is tomorrow and the Phillies have the first overall pick.
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