Former Braves Pitcher Is a Great Fit for the Phillies' Bullpen

The Philadelphia Phillies need to upgrade their bullpen, and former Atlanta Braves reliever Chris Martin is a great fit.

Leo Morgenstern | Jun 15, 2022

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Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have two relievers with significant postseason experience: Corey Knebel and Jeurys Familia. Combined, the two have a 1.95 ERA in 30 postseason appearances. Both have saved at least one game in the playoffs.

These two relievers have a track record of success at the highest level, and it might be one of the primary reasons President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski targeted them this past offseason. This year, however, Knebel and Familia have both pitched poorly in high-leverage spots.

The rest of the bullpen has very little playoff experience. Brad Hand, José Alvarado, and Nick Nelson have pitched a combined six innings in the postseason. Homegrown relievers like Seranthony Domínguez and Connor Brogdon have yet to even sniff October baseball.

Dombrowski would be wise, then, to add another reliever who has pitched in the playoffs. While his primary focus should simply be to add the best pitchers that can help the team reach October, postseason experience should be a significant secondary concern.

One bullpen arm on the trade market with some very recent postseason success is Chicago Cubs right-hander Chris Martin. Martin, Phillies fans will remember, was a reliever for the Atlanta Braves from 2019 to 2021. He pitched to a 3.30 ERA in 79 innings with Atlanta, winning three consecutive division titles and, of course, a World Series championship in 2021.

In 14 playoff appearances, Matin has pitched 12.1 innings with a 2.19 ERA. He made two scoreless appearances in the World Series last year en route to winning his second career championship ring (his first came in Japan, where he pitched from 2016 to 2017).

Chris Martin throws a pitch against the Houston Astros during the 2021 World Series. — Chris Martin throws a pitch against the Houston Astros during the 2021 World Series / © Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

In 17.2 innings pitched this year, Martin has an unimpressive 5.09 ERA. That would rank third-worst in Philadelphia's bullpen, behind only Alvarado and the now-DFA'd James Norwood.

Martin's 2.35 xERA, 2.23 xFIP, and 2.17 SIERA, however, would rank first, better than even Domínguez, the current leader in each of those metrics. Martin is walking just over two batters per nine innings, which would also be best on the team, as would his 5.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

The one big problem Martin has faced this year is allowing too many home runs—he has given up three already—and his home run rate would rank third-worst on the Phillies, behind only Familia and Andrew Bellatti. However, Martin is actually allowing far fewer fly balls this year than he usually does, and fewer hard hit balls as well. In other words, the underlying data suggests he will not continue to allow nearly as many long balls going forward. His home run rate is so high because of a small sample size, not because his skills are in decline.

There will be many relievers available on the trade market this summer, and Dombrowski will have his work cut out for him deciding who to deal for. He should certainly look into Martin, because of his strong underlying numbers and his recent postseason experience.

Martin might also be available as part of a package deal with teammate David Robertson, another reliever who could really help the Phillies bullpen. Dombrowski will be hesitant to trade away talented prospects for a bullpen rental arm, but if he were to get two skilled relievers back in one transaction, it would be easier to justify the deal.

Martin isn't the most exciting name (unless you're a big Coldplay fan), but he would be a good fit in Philadelphia. Beyond his abilities on the field, there would be something undeniably fun about adding a player from Atlanta's championship squad. The Phillies are looking to beat the Braves this year, and Martin can help them do just that.

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Published Jun 15, 2022

LEO MORGENSTERN

Leo Morgenstern is a writer and editor for Inside the Phillies. He also writes for FanGraphs and Just Baseball, and his work has appeared on Pitcher List and Baseball Prospectus. He previously covered the Phillies for SB Nation's The Good Phight. You can follow him on Twitter @morgensternmlb.