Philadelphia Phillies Have One Trade That Feels Inevitable

The Philadelphia Phillies' bullpen was awful down the stretch this past season, and Orion Kerkering was a big reason why.

Once a dependable late-inning arm for the Phillies, Kerkering fell apart during the second half, posting a 5.79 ERA in July, a 5.40 ERA in June and an 18.69 ERA in four September appearances before being demoted to Triple-A.

What exactly happened to Kerkering, who owned a 2.43 ERA prior to the All-Star break and had established himself as a reliable reliever since 2024? Who knows, but whatever it was, it likely ended his tenure in Philadelphia.

The Phillies will be on the hunt for bullpen help this offseason, and Kerkering will likely be on the trade block.

At this point, it seems hard to imagine Philadelphia trying the right-hander in its pen again, and based on how good he was in 2024 and 2025, it's entirely possible — if not probable — that another team will see value in him.

A change of scenery could be all Kerkering needs, and a split would probably be best for both sides at this juncture.

Kerkerking has good stuff. He owns a lifetime 10.2 K/9, he regularly touches the upper 90s with his four-seam fastball and he has allowed just 7.8 hits per nine innings thus far in his big-league career.

The command has become a problem for the 25-year-old, as his BB/9 ballooned to 5.3 in 2026 after coming in at 2.4 back in 2024. He also posted a 4.1 BB/9 in 2025, so clearly, his control has developed into an issue.

But it could just be a confidence problem for Kerkering, and there should be plenty of clubs around baseball who feel they could fix him.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that Kerkering will have a ton of value. Not after what we saw from him late in the season.

But let's say the Phillies attach a prospect to the former fifth-round pick. Suddenly, Kerkering might have some intrigue.

A team like the New York Yankees, for example, who have made a habit out of turning around wayward relievers, could have some interest, especially considering so many of their own top relief arms are headed toward free agency.

All hope is not lost for Kerkering, who is still very young and has flashed tremendous potential in the past.

It does, however, seem like his run in Philadelphia is coming to an end.