Former Mets, Cardinals lefty reliever named 'dark horse' to make Phillies roster

The Philadelphia Phillies made a few big moves this offseason, and while the starting rotation and the lineup have some question marks, the bullpen looks to be as strong as ever.

But in the bullpen, thanks to Matt Strahm being traded away, there is an open roster spot for a third left-handed reliever. Other than Tanner Banks and Jose Alvarado, the Phillies could use one more lefty in the bullpen.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com identified a "dark horse" who could make the Opening Day roster for the Phillies this year in former New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals veteran, Genesis Cabrera.

Phillies' Genesis Cabrera named 'dark horse' to make Opening Day roster

"If Cabrera can recapture his form from 2021-24 - 3.94 ERA in 202 appearances - perhaps he can make one of the final two bullpen jobs available," Zolecki writes.

Cabrera is a 29-year-old lefty reliever who's spent the bulk of his seven-year career with the Cardinals. He had a 4.14 ERA in 174 games for the Cardinals, but had a strong 2020 and 2021, pitching to a 2.42 and 3.73 ERA in two of the best seasons of his career.

Then, in 2024 with the Toronto Blue Jays, he had a nice 3.59 ERA in 69 appearances. But, in 2025 with the Mets, he had a 3.52 ERA in six appearances, and then an 8.68 ERA in nine appearances for the Chicago Cubs.

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He left the Cubs to join the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he posted a 4.91 ERA in nine appearances, before finishing the 2025 season with the Milwaukee Brewers with a 7.98 ERA in 16 appearances.

While Cabrera has shown some promise in his career, this past season, he was on four teams and posted a 6.54 ERA across 40 outings.

But if he has a great Spring Training, and Kyle Backhus, the current favorite to be the third lefty reliever, struggles, then Cabrera could force his way onto the Opening Day roster.

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