Philadelphia Phillies Acquire Intriguing Reliever in Early Move To Bolster Roster

In an early offseason move, the Philadelphia Phillies acquired a relief pitcher from the Detroit Tigers.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Devin Sweet throws during spring training at Tigertown in Lakeland, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024 / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

There are some questions in the bullpen for the Philadelphia Phillies going forward.

With star relievers Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez set to hit the open market, both players aren't expected to return in 2025 considering the type of contracts they are projected to land from other teams around the league.

Nothing has been revealed yet regarding which pitcher the Phillies might prefer to keep, but it's clear things will look different in their bullpen going forward.

Someone who could be part of the mix is a player Philadelphia just acquired.

In an announcement made by the team's official social media page, they revealed they acquired reliever Devin Sweet from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for cash considerations.

The 28-year-old has only appeared in seven MLB games during his career, all coming back in 2023 when he threw two innings for the Seattle Mariners and 6.2 for the Oakland Athletics, but he was an intriguing enough player that the Phillies decided to trade for him even when the Tigers likely weren't going to add him to their 40-man roster.

Across 52 outings with Detroit's Triple-A affiliate last season, Sweet posted a 3.91 ERA where he fanned 111 batters in 76.0 frames pitched.

Already selected to Philadelphia's 40-man roster, he seems like he'll have a chance to earn an Opening Day spot if he performs well during Spring Training.

If he does pitch at a high level, that could be a huge boost to the Phillies with an affordable contract becoming an impact player as they make decisions about what other upgrades they need on this team heading into 2025 and beyond after coming up short in the playoffs the last two seasons.