The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a contract with reliever Archie Bradley, per Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com says it is a one-year pact, which will pay Bradley $6 million.
This is the first major step that new president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has taken this offseason to repair a bullpen that very likely prevented the Phillies from reaching the postseason in 2020. In addition to signing Bradley, the Phillies have also traded for Jose Alvarado and Sam Coonrod already this offseason, though Bradley is much more of a sure thing than either of those two.
The 28-year-old spent the first five-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, before being dealt to the Cincinnati Reds last summer. Though he's eventually be non-tendered, Bradley posted a 1.17 ERA in six appearances for the Reds, helping them to reach the postseason. The decision to non-tender him was strictly about saving money.
Bradley has had success in a variety of roles in the bullpen, so it's not immediately clear how Joe Girardi envisions using him. Regardless of what roles they are used in the Phillies are counting on a bounce-back campaign from Hector Neris in 2021, along with the continued progression of Connor Brogdon, who flashed back-end-of-the-bullpen potential late in the 2020 season. Bradley, who has a 2.82 career ERA out of the bullpen, should bring a stabilizing force into that mix.
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