*Photo from Dodgers Way*
Seeking a replacement for the maddeningly inconsistent Hector Neris in the bullpen, the Philadelphia Phillies went for exactly that, a more consistent option. The Phillies and RHP Corey Knebel have agreed to a one year, $10 million deal, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The Phillies have confirmed the deal.
Although he hasn't done as much of it in recent seasons, Knebel will likely be the frontrunner to be the closer in Philadelphia, as he has saved his fair share of major league games. He's the back end reliever the Phillies needed, and, if he can save close to the 39 games that he saved in 2017, it will be a boon to a Phillies bullpen that needs all the help it can get.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said of Knebel closing that "I think that’s why he signed here. We did not promise him that. We just told him that he’d be a back-end person for us. But we think he has the stuff and he’s healthy, and when he has been that, he has the stuff to do that and he has the makeup to do that. So that’s how we would envision him being for us."
After missing chunks of time recently due to injury, Knebel returned to solid form in 2021 while donning a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform. Knebel finished the regular season with a 4-0 record with a 2.45 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, saving 3 games in 5 opportunities, throwing 25 2/3 innings pitched in 23 relief appearances, even serving as the opener for 4 games down the stretch.
In 7 seasons in the majors, split between the Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Detroit Tigers, Knebel has a career 10-11 record, with a 1.21 WHIP and 3.23 ERA, with 366 strikeouts while tossing 262 innings, saving 60 games in 262 relief appearances, and 4 starts. In 16 career playoff games, Knebel has a 1-0 record and one save in 15 2/3 innings pitched, making 14 relief appearances and two starts.
Knebel made the all star game in 2017 when he led the league with 76 relief appearances, with a sterling 1.78 ERA and 39 saves for the Brewers. During the 2018 season, he underwent Tommy John surgery and was out for all of 2019 as well. When he returned in 2020, he was not effective, and was traded to the Dodgers that offseason, where he was able to rebound after getting healthy in August.
Dombrowski said of making further pitching additions that "We've got some other arms that we like. We picked up some other additions. But we're just going to continue to explore and just see what makes sense for us as we go through the wintertime. We've got a guy that we think will close games for us, and that's a big start. And then we can kind of build the rest of the bullpen."
The Phillies bullpen has undergone a transformation, with Neris going to Houston as one of the more notable departures. In terms of additions, Knebel joins Nick Nelson, Ryan Sherriff, Yoan Lopez, Scott Moss, and Kent Emanuel as new additions to the team.
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