The Philadelphia Phillies had begun to see Matt Strahm as expendable. In fact, Matt Gelb, who covers the Phillies quite often, revealed that there had been “growing friction” between both parties. But regardless of why he was traded to the Royals, Rob Thomson now has a big bullpen question to solve.

Strahm’s exit brings back a key question that appeared answered with the signing of veteran reliever Brad Keller. Does Rob Thomson have enough reliable pitchers in the bullpen to avoid another risky sixth- and seventh-inning stretch?

Certainly not. The Phillies traded Strahm to the Kansas City Royals and landed reliever Jonathan Bowlan in return.

There’s a good chance this move ends up not meaning much at all by the end of next season. And for now, it clearly makes the Phillies’ bullpen weaker. Additionally, it also puts a lot of pressure on Duran, Keller, and Alvarado to stay healthy and pitch well.

If all three perform at their best, the Phillies should be fine in close games. And behind them is Kerkering, who still hasn’t become the reliable late-inning pitcher the team hoped for. Most importantly, he will be required to bounce back mentally after a costly mistake in Game 4 of the NLDS.

As for Bowlan, he is coming off a season in which he went 1–2 with a 3.86 ERA across 34 appearances. He struck out 46 batters while issuing 17 walks over 44.1 innings. It was arguably one of the most productive stretches of his young MLB career.

The Phillies are betting that Bowlan can build on that performance and deliver similar results next season.

After all, Strahm, 34, has created a significant gap for the Phillies. Across his three seasons with the Phillies, he was one of the most reliable and versatile arms. He posted a 2.71 ERA across 188 appearances, even though his performance dipped slightly in 2025.

He served as a trusted late-inning left-hander and also made 10 starts as a swing starter. With Strahm gone, the Phillies are left with José Alvarado and Tanner Banks as their remaining left-handed relievers.

All the internal tensions that led to Matt Strahm’s trade to the Royals

Strahm reportedly had several disagreements with coaches and team officials. Although he had no such issues with his teammates.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic did not go into detail about the exact nature of the “friction,” but one moment stood out after the Phillies’ NL Division Series loss.

Apparently, Strahm publicly criticized the organization for not emphasizing pitchers’ fielding practice (PFP) enough. His remark came following a costly fielding error by pitcher Orion Kerkering during the playoffs.

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And let’s say those comments did not sit well with the president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski.

“We did plenty,” Dombrowski said, “and actually, as it turns out, we did do PFPs in the postseason. He [Strahm] didn’t do them, but we did them.”

Over three seasons with the Phillies, Strahm provided a steady, productive presence. He went 17–10 with a 2.71 ERA across 188 appearances, including 10 starts. He also recorded 11 saves and 51 holds while striking out 257 batters and walking just 52 over 212.2 innings.

He earned the All-Star nod in 2024 and followed that up last season with another strong showing. He posted a 2–3 record and a 2.74 ERA in 66 games, along with six saves. He also struck out 70 batters and issued 20 walks in 62.1 innings.

Given how well Strahm performed on the field, moving on from him is clearly a calculated risk the Phillies didn’t mind taking.