Dave Dombrowski is notoriously tight-lipped regarding the Philadelphia Phillies‘ roster strategy, but he recently pulled back the curtain on his vision for the 2026 bullpen. The Phillies’ President of Baseball Operations revealed a preference for a balanced “four-pillar” setup behind star closer Jhoan Duran, featuring two lefties and two righties to anchor the late innings.
Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation captured the sentiment on X: “Dave Dombrowski said he preferred having two lefties and two righties along with closer Jhoan Duran at the back end. So once the Phillies got RHP Brad Keller, he was comfortable dealing LHP Matt Strahm in the right trade.”
Beyond the tactical symmetry, Dombrowski expressed optimism that Jose Alvarado will return to peak form. This would provide Duran with the support of a battle-tested veteran who has anchored the Phillies’ relief corps for the past five seasons.
The five-man “no-fly zone”
Based on Dombrowski’s comments and current roster moves, the high-leverage hierarchy protecting Duran is coming into focus. The Righties: Newly acquired Brad Keller and rising star Orion Kerkering. The Lefties: Veteran Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks.
This quartet is designed to bridge the gap to Duran and extinguish mid-game rallies before they turn into disasters. The most significant variable in this group is Keller, the only member without prior experience in the Phillies’ system. However, Keller is coming off a dominant 2025 MLB campaign in which he posted a 2.07 ERA over 68 appearances with Chicago.
Duran himself is entering his first full season in Philadelphia. After being acquired from the Minnesota Twins mid-season in 2025, he proved his worth in pinstripes, recording a stellar 2.18 ERA across 23 games for the Phillies.