​Phillies’ ‘sneaky good’ trade with Mets is bullpen upgrade for Don Mattingly originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Philadelphia Phillies bolstered their bullpen at the trade deadline. They acquired right-hander Caleb Kilian in a trade with the San Francisco Giants for three-time batting champion Luis Arraez, and left-hander Brooks Raley from the New York Mets. Raley, a Major League veteran of nine years, could prove to be a “sneaky good” pickup for the Phillies, writes Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly. “However, Brooks Raley was a pretty big get for a team that has had questionable bullpen performance outside of All-Star closer Jhoan Duran,” Kelly wrote. In 45 games this season, Raley has a 1.96 ERA, 40 strikeouts, and a 33.9% ground-ball rate over 41.1 innings. He’s capable of getting hitters out from each side of the plate. MORE: Braves get unexpectedly weak grade from ESPN for Lane Thomas trade with Royals”Perhaps the only concern with Raley is he’s 38 years old, and you never know if older pitchers will wear down in September and October,” Miller added. “As is, though, he immediately leapfrogs Orion Kerkering and José Alvarado, joining Jonathan Bowlan as the most trusted setup options for Don Mattingly.” With Jhoan Duran at closer, Raley may be Mattingly’s go-to guy in late-game situations. Right-handed batters have a .636 OPS against Raley in 88 at-bats this season, potentially giving Philadelphia’s skipper confidence to give the lefty a longer leash. More MLB news:Cubs land Kevin Gausman in blockbuster trade with Blue JaysWhat did Mets get for Freddy Peralta? Rays send three prospects for 4.99 ERA SPTigers receive lousy grade for Tarik Skubal trade to Dodgers from ESPNHow Cubs inadvertently helped Dodgers trade for Tarik Skubal