The Phillies’ offseason swap of Matt Strahm for Jonathan Bowlan looked shaky at first glance. Philadelphia moved a proven left-handed reliever for a 29-year-old with just 49 career innings over three seasons, and the deal seemed like a stretch even with the payroll savings attached.
But the trade has aged much better for Philadelphia, and Strahm’s latest setback only sharpens that picture. According to FanSided’s Robert Murray, Strahm has undergone knee surgery and won’t be ready to return until 2027. The veteran southpaw also had a rough 2026 season before landing on the shelf, finishing with a 7.23 ERA over 35 2/3 innings after being DFA’d by Kansas City following the trade deadline.
The decline showed up everywhere. Strahm’s strikeouts dropped from 10.11 K/9 last season to 7.57 this year, he allowed a 3.03 HR/9, and his velocity kept sliding, from 93.6 miles per hour in 2024 to 92.2 in 2025 and then 91.3 in 2026.
That’s the harsh reality for relievers: the drop-off can come fast. Philadelphia got three productive seasons out of Strahm, and that alone makes the move easier to justify in hindsight.
Bowlan, meanwhile, has given the Phillies exactly the kind of upside they were hoping to find. His season opened poorly, with a 5.63 ERA in the first month, but he settled in with a 3.86 mark in May and then took off from there. From June 1 through August 31, he turned in a 1.95 ERA across 32 1/3 innings, a stretch that pushed him into elite territory.
September has been bumpier. Bowlan has allowed an earned run in each of his last five outings and has also been tagged by the home run ball, including a rough moment on Tuesday night. Even so, he entered Tuesday with a 3.59 xFIP over that stretch, which suggests the rough patch may not last.
For Philadelphia, the broader payoff is hard to ignore. Bowlan looks like a possible bullpen find, and he’s under team control through 2031. If that holds, the Phillies didn’t just save money - they may have landed a long-term arm while moving on from a reliever who is now out until 2027.
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