After watching their bullpen imploded twice in the loss of doubles from Thursday to Toronto, the Phillies on Friday made two trades that they hope the mishandled unit will improve.
The team recruited assistant referee David Hale of the New York Yankees for minor reliever Addison Russ.
Later Friday night, the Phils took over Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree from the Boston Red Sox for pitchers Nick Pivetta and Connor Seabold.
The Phillies also received cash in the deal with Boston. That should help keep the Phillies below the luxury tax threshold.
The Phillies hope Hale, Workman and Hembree can help a polite bullpen that entered Friday night’s game in Atlanta with a major-minimum 8.07 ERA.
It’s not clear how manager Joe Girardi will deploy his three new relievers, but they will all show major innings.
Workman, 32, will pitcher near the end of the game. By using him closer, Girardi would allow Hector Neris to slide into a set-up role.
Workman had 16 saves for the Red Sox last season and knocked out 13.1 batters per nine innings while going 10-1 with a 1.88 ERA in 73 games. He has a 4.05 ERA in seven games this season. He hit the Phillies earlier this week and put up a scoreless inning.
Workman was first selected from high school in the third round of the 2007 draft by the Phillies. He opted instead for the University of Texas. He will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Hembree, a 31-year-old power-hungry right-winger, has been a workhorse in the Boston Bullpen for the past four seasons. He had a 3.86 ERA in 45 games last season. He allowed six runs in 9⅔ innings this season. Four of those runs came in one outing, coincidentally against the Phillies on Tuesday.
Hembree is under control for next season, his final year of salary arbitration.
The rebuilt Red Sox are buried in the American League East standings. The Phillies are hoping that a return to controversy will bring out the best in both Workman and Hembree.
Hale, who turns 33 in September, was named by the Yankees earlier this week. The right-hander had thrown up six innings and allowed seven hits, two runs and three walks. He knocked out sand.
Hale, a Princeton man, has put forward four teams over seven seasons in the major leagues.
The departure of Pivetta is remarkable, as it comes after he opened the 2019 season as the Phillies’ No. 2 starter. The hard-throwing right-hander, purchased from Washington for Jonathan Papelbon in the summer of 2015, could never put it together in Philadelphia. He gets the change of scenery he probably needed.
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