The Philadelphia Phillies have been connected to an intriguing pitcher this MLB offseason.
The Philadelphia Phillies have re-signed Kyle Schwarber, but otherwise, they have been very quiet this MLB offseason.
Of course, it's still early, and there is plenty of time for the Phillies to make some moves, but the prevailing thought is that they won't be willing to spend much more money after handing Schwarber $150 million over five years.
Philadelphia may have to go bargain hunting, and Phillies insider Jim Salisbury has revealed that relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks could be an option, particularly if the team is able to trade fellow reliever Matt Strahm.
"They would like to address that setup area," Salisbury said on Foul Territory. "And I think one of the reasons you hear Strahm as possibility that could be moved is him being a left-hander, they feel like with [Jose] Alvarado and [Tanner] Banks they have some left-handed depth. Maybe if were to move Strahm, free up a little bit of payroll ... you could use that to go after a right-hander."
Enter Fairbanks, who posted a 2.83 ERA with the Tampa Bay Rays last season.
Pete Fairbanks. Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images."A guy like Fairbanks would make a lot of sense, depending on where they are budget wise," Salisbury added.
Fairbanks broke into the big leagues with the Texas Rangers in 2019 but was traded to the Rays that same season. He eventually developed into a high-end reliever for Tampa Bay and was a strikeout artist for a while, owning a lifetime mark of 11.3 punchouts per nine innings.
However, over the last couple of years, Fairbanks' strikeout numbers have decreased dramatically, as he logged 8.7 and 8.8 K/9 rates in 2024 an 2025, respectively.
For that reason, Fairbanks could represent a risky addition, especially considering he had a rather concerning 3.63 FIP this past season.
That being said, Philadelphia clearly needs bullpen help, and Fairbanks is definitely one of the best options available at the moment.
Fairbanks is 32 years old and owns a career 3.19 ERA, 3.10 FIP and 1.172 WHIP.
The Phillies have been bounced from the NLDS each of the last two years and absolutely need to bolster their roster this winter. We'll see if they are actually able to make any significant additions.