Phillies predicted to cut ties with ex-Blue Jays, Yankees reliever despite Opening Day decision originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Phillies are an aging team looking to capture at least one World Series title before their core group hangs up the spikes.
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To do so, they’ll need above-average play from role players on the roster, especially the bullpen. Even as one of the best closers in the Majors, Jhoan Duran cannot be expected to carry the bullpen unit every game.
Middle relief is an area that manager Rob Thomson will have to navigate throughout the campaign. A grueling 162-game schedule can make deciding who to turn to when a starter exits early a difficult determination.
FanSided’s Christopher Kline predicts the Phillies will part ways with a 34-year-old veteran during the season. Despite making the Opening Day roster, the left-hander’s stint with the NL East club may be brief.
Phillies predicted to release or trade LHP Tim Mayza
“The back end of this Phillies bullpen all feels transient. Neither [Tim] Mayza nor righty Zach Pop have been a) regularly available or b) good the past couple years,” Kline wrote Friday. “But Mayza is at least a decent candidate to buck trends and string together enough quality work early in the campaign to muster scant trade interest, even if the return value is negligible.”
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Mayza, a former semi-reliable arm with the Toronto Blue Jays who enjoyed a 15-game stint with the New York Yankees in 2024, did not have a good spring training.
He allowed seven earned runs and 12 hits in 9.1 innings, but managed to record 10 strikeouts. It’s fair to question whether Mayza’s roster spot will belong to him throughout the season.
Again, the Phillies need top-tier outings from their relievers more times than not in close games, and Mayza’s recent track record is not pretty.
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