2:46 a.m .: Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports that both sides have also discussed right-wing trafficking Heath Hembree. Unlike Workman, the 31-year-old Hembree will be controlled through 2021, so he would give the Phils an option for this year and next. Hembree delivered six runs by 9 2/3 innings in 2020, but he carries a solid 3.65 ERA with 10.1 K / 9 versus 3.4 BB / 9 to 222 innings dating to 2016.
14:06 o’clock: The Phillies and Red Sox are actively discussing a deal with “multiplayer”, including Workman, tweets Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
12:47 pm: The Phillies have spoken to the Red Sox about right-handers Brandon Workman while looking to upgrade their bullpen, report Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb of The Athletic (via Twitter).
The Phils just caught on David Hale in a small part with the Yankees, and it would hardly be a surprise to have them aggressively target extra bullpen arms. The mishap of Philadelphia, fueled by monster seasons from Bryce Harper en JT Realmuto, has been among the best in the game.
The rotation, led by enormous efforts of Aaron Nola en Zack Wheeler, has been reduced to a combined 4.10 ERA, although the unit outside that top duo has been shaky before. Jake ArrietaThe past two starts have been rough, and top-notch Spencer Howard must complete five more frames. Right Zach Eflin has missed bats at a surprising rate, but has also yielded eight well-deserved runes in his 14 innings.
Phillies relievers, on the other hand, have been the worst collective unit in baseball. The Philadelphia bullpen has produced a staggering 8.07 ERA – nearly two runs less than the Reds in the 29th rank – and also runs 27th in FIP and 20th in xFIP. No Phillies reliever has even thrown 10 innings, and the only sub-4.00 ERAs among pitchers with at least three appearances belong to veteran Blake Parker, who was only recently added to the roster of the big league, and lefty Jose Alvarez, who was dismissed from the field in yesterday’s game.
As a tough free agent on the 8-18 Red Sox, Workman is one of the most likely players in MLB to switch hands before the August 31 trading date. He returned this year to a 4.05 ERA in his spicy sample of 6 2/3 frames, but the 32-year-old also logged a 1.88 ERA with 13.1 K / 9 and 16 saves for the Red Sox in 2019. He averaged 5.7 walks per nine frames last year, which is apparently unpalatable, but his control prior to that season was generally sharp.
Overall, since moving to the Red Sox ‘bullpen in 2017 on a full-time basis, Workman has assembled 159 1/3 frames with a 2.65 ERA, 10.5 K / 9, 4.3 BB / 9, 0 , 79 HR / 9 and a 46.4 percent baseball rate.
When a deal with Workman finally comes together, it will tell to see what type of return the judge brings. Boston will not make a qualifying offer, though the Sox are better off moving him than keeping him. But the Phillies (like any other team) would only get about a month of regular season innings from Workman. The general expectation has been that hirelings like Workman will provide relatively minimal returns due to that fact. At this point, however, we have not yet seen such offers come together, so the first few deals that come to fruition could conceivably serve as a barometer for other potential rental swaps.
