Daily News | New Phillies reliever Matt Strahm brings uncommonly varied repertoire to bullpen role
It’s uncommon for a reliever to throw five distinct types of pitches. But Matt Strahm has a good reason for why he maintains such a varied repertoire.
“I’m going to be a starter one day,” the 31-year-old lefty said on a Zoom call Friday after finalizing a two-year contract with theStrahm was kidding. Sort of. Well, maybe. He did make 15 starts for the San Diego Padres in 2019. But all but 25 of his 207 major league appearances have come in relief, and the Phillies bowled him over with an offer this week to join fellow lefty José Alvarado in a bullpen that is in the annual process of being recast.
The Phillies will likely add another reliever to a group that includes Seranthony Domínguez, Alvarado, Strahm, Connor Brogdon, Andrew Bellatti, and long man Nick Nelson. They must replace some of the 102 innings that came from veterans David Robertson, Corey Knebel, and Jeurys Familia. Robertson signed a one-year, $10 million contract this week with the New York Mets.
Strahm posted a 3.83 ERA in 44⅔ innings for the Boston Red Sox, a bounceback season after struggling in 2021 while coming back from right knee surgery. But the Phillies came hard after Strahm because of his underlying metrics. His strikeout rate soared to 26.9%, up from 11.1% in 2021 and 18.1% in 2020, and he held batters to a .296 weighted on-base average, down from .441 in 2021.
“Philly didn’t really give many [other teams] a chance,” said Strahm, who said he had “a couple” of other offers. “They kind of made it look sweet. And I mean, you can’t argue with that team. I’m at the point in my career where winning’s everything. I did the rebuild thing in San Diego. I want to be on a team that’s ready to compete, and you can’t argue with what the Phillies have done.
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