MLB rumors: Phillies 'destroyed' market with Matt Strahm deal?

Matt Strahm, the new Phillies reliever, may have had a strong 2022 campaign, but he doesn't have the longest track record of success.

Even with the start of Spring Training being less than a month away, there are still a few unsigned free agents that could very well become impact additions for an aspiring contender. In particular, there are a few left-handed relievers capable of strengthening even the best of bullpens left on the market, such as Matt Moore, Andrew Chafin, and Zack Britton. So why have those relievers remained unsigned? The Philadelphia Phillies may be to blame, or at least according to this one executive.

Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, an unnamed league executive thought that the Phillies “destroyed” the relief pitcher free agent market when they signed veteran lefty Matt Strahm to a two-year, $15 million deal in early December. Strahm may have had a strong 2022 campaign with the Boston Red Sox, but he doesn't have the longest track record of success.

Still, the Phillies clearly saw something of value in locking up Matt Strahm over those three aforementioned left-handers who had comparable, if not better, 2022 seasons than the 31-year old southpaw. In particular, Matt Moore stands out as a more enticing relief option after he tallied a stellar 1.95 ERA in 74 innings for the Texas Rangers.

Moreover, Andrew Chafin was solid in 2022 as well. In 57.1 innings, Chafin posted a solid 2.83 ERA for the Detroit Tigers. In addition, among the three he had the best strikeout to walk ratio in 2022.

But Zack Britton, among all of them, has the longest track record of success. However, he also stands out as the option that carries the most uncertainty, given his 2022 injury woes. He wasn't even able to pitch for a whole inning last season before the Yankees shut him down.

Nevertheless, it's not difficult to see why Moore, Chafin, and Britton have held out for a contract that teams may not be willing to pay following Matt Strahm's deal with the Phillies. Those three appear to be justified in thinking that they deserve a better deal than the one Strahm signed.

But with Spring Training approaching, they may have to settle for a contract worth less than they expect if they were to latch onto a team for the 2023 campaign.