Suspension Of Star Closer Jose Alvarado Creates Crisis For Phils

Although the Philadelphia Phillies have moved within a half-game of the first-place New York Mets in the National League East, their hopes of retaining the divisional crown also took a severe jolt over the weekend.

That’s because hard-throwing closer José Alvarado was suspended for 80 games after testing positive for exogenous testosterone – a banned performance-enhancing substance.

He will also be suspended for post-season play if the Phillies advance this fall.

Triple-Digit Velocity

Along with Aroldis Chapman of the Boston Red Sox and Josh Hader of the Houston Astros, Alvarado was a rare breed: a left-handed relief ace who routinely reached triple digits on the radar gun.

During his nine-year career, he averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings and posted a 3.40 earned run average. In three separate seasons, the Venezuelan workhorse appeared more than 60 times.

Alvarado, who broke into the big leagues with the 2017 Tampa Bay Rays, joined the Phillies in a three-team trade that also involved the Los Angeles Dodgers on Dec. 28, 2020. He is in the final year of a guaranteed three-year, $22 million deal, according to Spotrac, but will not be paid for the time he is suspended.

Although the pitcher will not appeal the suspension, he told team officials he did not know he was taking a prohibited substance, thinking that he was taking a weight-control pill.

Replacing the burly southpaw, whose 30th birthday is Wednesday, won’t be easy.

Possible Replacements

Matt Strahm, a long-maned lefty who landed on the NL All-Star team last year, has pitched well (2.89 ERA in 21 games) but Jordan Romano and Carlos Hernandez just recently recovered from disastrous starts. The Philadelphia bullpen as a unit hasn’t proved championship-caliber relief (4.57 ERA even with Alvarado’s record included).

“It’s disappointing for sure,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters Sunday morning at Citizens Bank Park. “There’s no question about that. We’ve had other issues come up at various times. I end up treating it like an injury because you need to replace somebody for 80 games and then hopefully into the postseason.”

Manager John Thomson may have to play mix-and-match as the season continues. “We’ve got to move on,” he said in a pre-game media scrum at Citizens Bank Park. “But we have really good pieces here who can pick up the slack.”

Neither Alvarado, who left the club after compiling a 4-1 record, seven saves, and 2.70 ERA in 20 outings, nor his agent had comments after the suspension was announced.

Strahm and Tanner Banks are the only left-handed relievers left in the Philadelphia pen, which gave Alvarado’s spot to right-hander José Ruiz, activating him from the IL.

Unless they can acquire a lefty reliever in a trade before the end-of-July deadline, the Phils could shift a southpaw starter from the rotation to the relief corps. Candidates are Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez.

Another possibility is signing 40-year-old David Robertson, a proven closer who failed to find a home when he tested free agency over the winter. Robertson, a right-hander, had two previous stints with the Phils.

Looking Ahead

A nine-year veteran, Alvarado has never been an All-Star. But he could have been picked this summer, when the game is in Atlanta and Thomson, a possible coach, could recommend him to NL manager Dave Roberts.

The suspension also places Alvarado’s $9 million club option for 2026 in jeopardy. The team might not be willing to take a chance on the pitcher’s ability to fulfill his contract.

“It’s not ideal by any means,” Dombrowski conceded. “It’s not something you want to see happen, but you just have to deal with it.”

The veteran executive likened the news to dealing with a sudden injury.

“It’s probably actually easier to deal with in the postseason because you have starters who can become relievers,” he said. “We do have an abundance of starters, which is a good place to start.”

The Phillies had a lengthy team meeting Sunday to discuss the situation, then eked out a 1-0 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates and their ace pitcher Paul Skenes.