With seven saves and a 2.70 ERA after 20 innings across 20 games, Philadelphia Phillies left-handed reliever Jose Alvarado appeared to be having one of his greatest seasons until Major League Baseball revealed on May 18 that he had previously failed a routine test for performance-enhancing substance use. The nine-year veteran received a severe 80-game punishment from the league.
Alvarado made a comeback to the mound on August 20, but a strained forearm ended his season after he appeared in just eight more games and gave up seven runs in six innings.
Alvarado’s three-year, $22 million contract with the Phillies came to an unpleasant conclusion. Alvarado’s suspension prevented him from pitching for the National League East pennant champions during the postseason. His stay in Philadelphia seemed to be coming to an end.
The Phillies made the exact opposite decision a little more than a month later. By exercising the club option in Alvarado’s contract, they would retain him for at least one more season. The 30-year-old southpaw will receive a flat $9 million to pitch for the Phillies in 2026. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012 as an international amateur free agent from Venezuela at the age of sixteen.
According to Phillies writer Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Alvarado “would have entered the free-agent market as one of the best – if not the best – lefty relievers available” if he hadn’t made this move.
After pitching in Tampa Bay for the first four years of his career, Alvarado has spent five seasons with the Phillies, appearing in 259 games as a setup man and closer. He has a 3.48 ERA, 37 saves, and 469 strikeouts in 368 1/3 innings.
In Alvarado’s place, Philadelphia president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski signed former Twins closer Jhoan Duran, who is under contract through 2027, during this season’s trade deadline. Next year, Alvarado will spend the most of his innings in a setup role as the closer is dominated by the 100 mph-throwing Duran.
Last season, Alvarado had an astounding 47 percent whiff rate on his cutter and prevented any further base hits from leaving the field. The Phillies’ decision to bring Alvarado back for another season was mostly influenced by the expectation that they would focus more on swing-and-miss stuff out of their bullpen, which finished a pitiful 28th in whiff rate this season, according to The Athletic.