Phillies' Rob Thomson says 2026 bullpen is 'best' he's had since coming to Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Phillies are coming into the 2026 MLB season with some pessimism thanks to the lack of Bo Bichette and the lack of changes to the offense.

Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto are back and the focal points of the offense. There are fears the team is simply running it back, and those might not be unfounded fears. But if there were one area of the team to have confidence in, it would be the bullpen.

Sean Kane of NBC Sports Philadelphia shared a quote from Rob Thomson, in which the Phillies manager said this year's bullpen is the best he's had since he's come to Philadelphia.

Phillies' 2026 bullpen is 'best' Rob Thomson has had in Philly

"It's probably the best group of arms that we've had since I've been here," Thomson said. He's not wrong; this group has what it takes to be great.

Jhoan Duran is the closer, and he's one of the best relievers in all of Major League Baseball. He was great for the Phillies after they acquired him from the Minnesota Twins at the last trade deadline.

After him is a strong group of relievers. Jose Alvarado, looking to play a full season after his 80-game PED suspension, has the ability to be a dominant reliever with a 100-mph fastball and great off-speed pitches.

Brad Keller, the $22 million new addition to the bullpen, is a great righty who's coming off a 2.07 ERA season with the Chicago Cubs.

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Orion Kerkering, while he had the NLDS blunder against the Los Angeles Dodgers, is still a great reliever. Tanner Banks showed a lot of promise, enough for the Phillies to justify moving on from Matt Strahm this offseason.

Then Jonathan Bowlan, Kyle Buckhus, Zach Pop, and Zach McCambley are all intriguing depth options in the bullpen.

Buckhus has one of the more unique arm slots, as he's a pseudo-submarine pitcher. Bowlan has impressed this spring, and as the trade return for Strahm, with a lot of control, there's plenty of optimism with the former Kansas City Royals reliever.

This bullpen is in a much better spot than it's ever been since the Phillies made Thomson the manager in 2022, and it might be one of the best the Phillies have ever had if these relievers live up to their potential.

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