Philadelphia Phillies left-handed reliever José Alvarado appeared to be in the midst of one of his best seasons, posting seven saves and a 2.70 ERA through 20 innings across 20 appearances. But on May 18, Major League Baseball announced that Alvarado had failed a routine test for performance-enhancing drugs, resulting in a severe 80-game suspension for the nine-year veteran.
He returned to action on August 20, but his comeback was short-lived. After pitching in just eight more games and giving up seven runs over six innings, Alvarado’s season was cut short by a strained forearm.
Alvarado’s three-year, $22 million stint with the Phillies ended on a rough note. His suspension not only sidelined him for a significant portion of the season but also made him ineligible for the postseason, keeping him off the mound during the Phillies’ run to the National League East title. It initially seemed like his time in Philadelphia had come to an end.
However, just over a month later, the Phillies reversed course, opting to retain Alvarado for at least one more season by exercising the club option in his contract. The 30-year-old left-hander, who was signed as an international amateur free agent out of Venezuela by the Tampa Bay Rays at age 16 in 2012, will earn a guaranteed $9 million to pitch for Philadelphia in 2026.
The move keeps Alvarado out of free agency where he, “would have entered the free-agent market as one of the best — if not the best — lefty relievers available,” according to Phillies correspondent Matt Gelb of The Athletic.
In five seasons with the Phillies, after pitching the first four years of his career in Tampa Bay, Alvarado has appeared in 259 games, used both as a closer and setup man, saving 37 games with 469 strikeouts in 368 1/3 innings to go with a 3.48 ERA.
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