The Phillies announced on Friday that they have avoided arbitration with Jose Alvarado.
The Philadelphia Phillies recently reported that they have avoided an arbitration hearing with left-handed reliever, Jose Alvarado. The deal is for one year and worth $3.45 million. The agreement comes just before the club and Alvarado were set to present their cases to an independent arbitrator. The Phillies offered $3.2 million and Alvarado filed for $3.7 million. The two sides met in the middle and were able to agree to terms. The only player that the club has not reached an arbitration agreement with is Seranthony Dominguez.
Alvarado had an up and down 2022 season. Before becoming a dominant reliever down the stretch and in the postseason, he struggled in the early months of the regular season. In fact, he performed poorly enough in April and May to be sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to work regain some confidence. During the month of May, Alvarado had an ERA of 11.37 over 6 1/3 innings. During that time he walked more batters than he struck out.
Once recalled to Philadelphia, Alvarado was able to regain his confidence and his command. Over 38 innings in June, July, August, September, and October, the hard throwing lefty struck out an astounding 64 batters while walking 14. He finished the season with a 3.18 ERA.
Alvarado continued his success in the postseason until fatigue set in during the World Series. Luckily for the Phillies and Alvarado, they have added some extra left-handed help in the bullpen this offseason in the form of Matt Strahm and Gregory Soto. The extra arms should allow the Phillies to limit Alvarado’s workload so that he doesn’t run out of gas in the event that they make another deep postseason run.
Pitchers and catchers will report to Clearwater this week; however, Alvarado will be one of the Phillies participating in the World Baseball Classic as he represents Venezuela. The Phillies will look to Alvarado to continue his second half dominance as a key piece to their 2023 bullpen. The club will likely evaluate Alvarado’s performance this season before offering a longer-term deal to the hard throwing lefty.
