2025 Chachi #19 Jose Alvarado

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  255
Opening Day 2025 Age:  29

Born:  May 21, 1995, Maracaibo, Venezuela
Acquired:  Traded as part of a 3-team deal by the Tampa Bay Rays to the Phillies, December 29, 2020.  The Los Angeles Dodgers sent Dillon Paulson and a player to be named later to the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Phillies sent Garrett Cleavinger to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Contract Status:  Signed through 2026
Major League Teams:  Tampa Bay Rays 2017-20; Philadelphia Phillies 2021-25

Postseason Appearances:  Tampa Bay Rays 2020; Philadelphia Phillies 2022-24

2025 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club / Club 215

It was a lost season for Jose Alvarado.  Expected to be a force at the back-end of the bullpen, and nearly unhittable at the start of the season, Alvarado was suspended on May 18th for 80 games after testing positive for a PED.  He had likely been heading to the All-Star Game, and instead he missed the bulk of the summer and was ineligible for the postseason.  He returned on August 19th, but wasn't nearly as effective, and the Phillies shut him down for the season on September 12th with a left forearm strain.  In 28 games, Alvarado was 4-2 with 3.81 ERA and seven saves.  His club option was picked up on November 5th, and he'll return for at least one more season in 2026. 

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2017 Topps Update #US147
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  2017, 2019, 2023-24
Favorite 2025 Card:  2025 Philadelphia Phillies Kids Club / Club 215
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  11 as of 12/29/25, 2 added in 2025

TCDB Stats: 177 total as of 12/29/25, my 11 cards overall are ranked 2nd, 1st is herkojerko with 21

Complete Chachi Checklist

2021 Chachi New Additions #4

2021 Chachi #24 
2022 Chachi #24

2023 Chachi #25

2024 Chachi #19

2024 Chachi Friendly Encounters #3

2025 Chachi #19

2025 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2025 Season Summary Index / 2025 Chachi Set Checklist

2025 Chachi #18  Taijuan Walker 

/ 

2025 Chachi #20 Tanner Banks

Game 32 - Phils Tame Snakes in Series Opener

Arizona Diamondbacks	2
Philadelphia Phillies	3

2024 Topps Philadelphia Phillies #PHI-16

Friday Night, May 2nd

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
18-14, 2nd Place, 3 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Schwarber drove in a pair and Max Kepler broke a 2-2 tie with a solo home run in the seventh as the Phillies took the series opener from the Diamondbacks, 3-2.

What It Means:  They'll try to keep it rolling tonight with Aaron Nola on the mound.

What Happened:  Schwarber doubled home Trea Turner in the first, but the Diamondbacks tied it in the fourth on a Geraldo Perdomo RBI single.  Arizona took the lead in the sixth on an RBI single from Lourdes Gurriel Jr., chasing Jesus Luzardo from the game.  Luzardo got a no-decision, but had another strong outing, allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out six.  Scharwarber and Kepler hit their home runs in the seventh, tying the score and then putting the Phillies ahead.  Tanner Banks, Jordan Romano and Jose Alvarado were perfect in relief over the final three innings.

Johan Rojas made a great catch in center in the top of the ninth to help Alvarado lock down the save.

Featured Card:  Alvarado has justifiably gotten a lot of attention so far this season as he's been nearly unhittable.  He notched his sixth save while lowering his season ERA to 1.72.

2025 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2025 Season Summary Index / 2025 Chachi Set Checklist

2024 Chachi Leftovers

2024 Chachi Almost #2

2024 Chachi Almost #3

2024 Chachi Almost #4

2024 Chachi Friendly Encounters #3

With pitchers and catchers having reported to Clearwater and only a matter of weeks to go before spring training games start, I wanted to clear out my draft folder and post a few lingering 2024 Chachi cards.  Before Christmas, I began posting cards from the 2024 Chachi set on a daily basis, wrapping up with card #64, Seth Johnson, on February 6th.  I start the process of creating Chachi cards this time each year, and as was the case with the players featured here, they did not actually suit up with the Phillies in 2024 and therefore weren't part of the official 2024 Chachi set.

Darick Hall (1b) - Hall played in 59 games with the Phillies between 2022 and 2023, and spent all of last season with the Triple-A IronPigs.  In December, he signed as a minor league free agent with the Pirates.

Rodolfo Castro (inf) - Castro lost the 2024 season to injuries, and he's back in camp with the Phillies in 2025 as a non-roster invitee.

Dylan Covey (rhp) - Covey and his beard made 28 appearances for the Phillies in 2023, making one start.  He too was hit by the injury bug in 2024, pitching in 18 games with three of the Phillies' minor league teams.  He was signed by the Mets on Halloween, placed on waivers on February 6th, and signed by the Braves on February 11th.

And finally, we met Jose Alvarado at an autograph signing at the Deptford Mall back in July.  Kody Clemens was also there and I briefly wrote about this poorly organized event here.

And with those three cards out of the way, and cleared from my draft folder, it's time to turn the page to the 2025 Chachi set!

2024 Chachi #19 Jose Alvarado

#46 / Jose Antonio Alvarado / Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  245
Opening Day Age:  28

Born:  May 21, 1995, Maracaibo, Venezuela
Acquired:  Traded as part of a 3-team deal by the Tampa Bay Rays to the Phillies, December 29, 2020.  The Los Angeles Dodgers sent Dillon Paulson and a player to be named later to the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Phillies sent Garrett Cleavinger to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Contract Status:  Signed through 2025, with a 2026 team option
Major League Teams:  Tampa Bay Rays 2017-20; Philadelphia Phillies 2021-24

Postseason Appearances:  Tampa Bay Rays 2020; Philadelphia Phillies 2022-24

2024 Topps #356

Jose Alvarado had an inconsistent 2024 season, as he was at times dominant, but wildness and unpredictability eventually cost him his role in the back-end of the bullpen.  Alvarado led the team with 13 saves, but his last save opportunity came on July 19th before manager Rob Thomson all but stopped using him in high leverage situations.  Alvarado also missed about a week in August for personal reasons.  His 2024 season ended on a low note too, as he was one of the pitchers hit hard in the NLDS Game 3 loss to the Mets.  Overall, Alvarado was 2-5 with a 4.09 ERA in 66 relief appearances - second on the club behind Jeff Hoffman, who had 68.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2017 Topps Update #US147
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  2017, 2019, 2023-24
Favorite 2024 Card:  2024 Topps #356
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  9 as of 12/21/24, 4 added in 2024

Complete Chachi Checklist

2021 Chachi New Additions #4

2021 Chachi #24 
2022 Chachi #24

2023 Chachi #25

2024 Chachi #19

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

2024 Chachi #18 Spencer Turnbull / 2024 Chachi #20 Connor Brogdon

Game 125 - Quiet Offense Again Doom (Buggies) Phillies

2024 Topps #356

Braves 3, Phillies 1
Game 125 - Tuesday Night, August 20th in Atlanta
Record - 73-52, 1st Place, 6 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies wasted a solid effort by Zack Wheeler as the offense collected five singles in this series-opening, 3-1 loss to the Braves.

What It Means:  This was not the start the Phillies were hoping for on a key, six-game road trip against the Braves and surging Royals.

What Happened:  Wheeler dropped to 12-6, allowing a pair of runs and striking out eight over six innings of work.  J.T. Realmuto drove in the only run with a fourth inning single to score Alec Bohm.  Former Phillie Whit Merrifield started at second for the Braves and went 2 for 3 with a triple and a run scored.

Featured Card:  Reliever Jose Alvarado is lost.  With the Phillies trailing, 2-1, Alvarado entered this game in the bottom of the eighth, walked the bases loaded and forced home a run with his fourth walk of the inning.  Max Lazar had to be summoned from the bullpen to strike out Merrifield and get out of the bases-loaded jam.

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 97 - Bullpen Falters in Loss to Pirates

2024 Philadelphia Phillies
Kids Club

Pirates 8, Phillies 7
Game 97 - Friday Night, July 19th in Pittsburgh
Record - 62-35, 1st Place, 8 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies couldn't hold off the Pirates, and Jose Alvarado's shaky ninth inning led to a walk-off win for the bad guys.

What It Means:  This was not a great way to start off the second half and capitalize on the good vibes generated from having eight All-Stars.

What Happened:  The Phillies jumped to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run double from Nick Castellanos and an RBI single from Weston Wilson.  But Aaron Nola quickly gave up three Pirates runs in the bottom of the first to tie the game.  Wilson hit his first home run of the year in the top of the third, but again Nola gave the run back in the bottom of the inning.  Trea Turner added a two-run home run in the fourth, and Kyle Schwarber added an insurance run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Orion Kerkering gave up two runs in the seventh, and Alvarado was immediately in trouble in the ninth, trying to hold a one-run lead.  He allowed a lead-off single to Connor Joe and walked Andrew McCutchen.  A few batters later, the game tied and McCutchen on third, Nick Gonzales singled to left to give the Pirates the win and Alvarado his third blown save.

Featured Card:  I've not featured an Alvarado card so far this season, and hopefully this serves as a good luck charm, turning his struggles around.

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 14 - Phils Falter in City Connect Uniform Debut

2023 Topps Heritage #314

Pirates 5, Phillies 2
Game 14 - Friday Night, April 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 7-7, 2nd Place, 2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies dropped a sloppy game against the Pirates on the night they debuted their long-awaited City Connect uniforms.

What It Means:  With the series now tied, the Phillies will try to recover and win a pair of weekend afternoon games today and tomorrow.

What Happened:  The energy generated by the new uniforms was not replicated on the field.  The Phillies were trailing 2-0 in the fifth when Brandon Marsh doubled and Bryson Stott singled him home.  Down 5-1, they loaded the bases in the eighth and came away with only one more run from a bases loaded walk issued to Alec Bohm.  Cristopher Sanchez was shaky on the mound, but did battle through six innings, allowing an unearned run (the error was his) on four hits while striking out six.  Yunior Marte and Ricardo Pinto allowed three more runs to score in relief.

Featured Card:  Bailey Falter started for the Pirates and took the win.  He gave up a run on four hits in his five innings of work, besting Sanchez, who essentially replaced him in the Phillies' starting pitching rotation last season.

Field Report:  Doug and I took in this game from Section 315, and we contributed to the Phillies' merchandise revenue with several City Connect related purchases.  I've long been a fan of the Phillies' blue and yellow uniform combinations from the 1930s, and I personally love the blue and yellow color combination of their new City Connect uniforms.  I would have tweaked a few things, and maybe not had the all-black pants, but overall they're not bad.  I love the hat and the yellow highlights, and I'm also a fan of the Declaration of Independence-style "Philly" font prominent on the fronts of the jerseys.

We're also happy to report our first visit to Bull's BBQ for 2024 was a success, and we're looking forward to many repeat visits throughout the summer and fall.

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

2023 Chachi #25 Jose Alvarado

#46

Jose Antonio Alvarado
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  245
Opening Day Age:  27

Born:  May 21, 1995, Maracaibo, Venezuela
Acquired:  Traded as part of a 3-team deal by the Tampa Bay Rays to the Phillies, December 29, 2020.  The Los Angeles Dodgers sent Dillon Paulson and a player to be named later to the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Phillies sent Garrett Cleavinger to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Contract Status:  Signed through 2025, with a 2026 team option
Major League Teams:  Tampa Bay Rays 2017-2020; Philadelphia Phillies 2021-2023

World Series Appearances:  Philadelphia Phillies 2022

Jose Alvarado had a decent first year with the Phillies in 2021, appearing in 64 games for Joe Girardi's club and earning a 7-1 record with a 4.20 ERA.  Last season, struggling with his control, the Phillies sent Alvarado down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  When he returned in mid-June he had transformed into a nearly unhittable late inning reliever.  In his final 42 regular season games, Alvarado pitched 38 innings, and had a 1.66 ERA, with 64 strikeouts to just 14 walks.

Elbow tightness has sidelined him this year since mid-May, but he recently began a rehab assignment with the IronPigs with the hope of returning to the Phillies bullpen soon.  Looking below at Alvarado's baseball cards, it's crazy to me that one of the most dominant Phillies relievers over the past few season has only three Phillies baseball cards available to date.

2021 Chachi New Additions #4

2021 Chachi #24

2022 Chachi #24

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2017 Topps Update #US147
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  2017, 2019
Newest Card Added to My Phillies Collection:  2023 Topps Phillies #PHI-6
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  3 as of 6/3/23.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2021 Chachi New Additions #4

2021 Chachi #24 
2022 Chachi #24

2023 Chachi #25

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

2023 Chachi #24 Craig Kimbrel / 2023 Chachi #26 Seranthony Dominguez

Game 12 - Alvarado Falters in Loss to Marlins

2022 Topps Now
Road to Opening Day #OD-282

Marlins 3, Phillies 2 (10 Innings)
Game 12 - Wednesday Afternoon, April 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 4-8, 4th Place, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler pitched well but a rare mistake from reliever Jose Alvarado and a lack of Phillies offense led to this 3-2, extra inning defeat.

What It Means:  The Phillies ended up dropping this series to the Marlins after a promising 15-run output on Monday night.  Four games with the Reds are up next, marking the final time the Reds and Phillies will face off in 2023.

What Happened:  Wheeler allowed a run on three hits in his six innings of work, and then yielded to Alvarado.  Alvarado had been nearly unhittable so far in 2023, and he escaped the seventh with no issues.  But in the eighth, he allowed a lead-off home run to Jorge Soler to tie the game at 2-2.  Craig Kimbrel allowed a single in the 10th to score ghost runner Soler, and the Marlins would eventually win, 3-2.

The Phillies offense had eight hits on the day, including an RBI single from Brandon Marsh in the fourth and an RBI double from Bryson Stott in the fifth.

Featured Card:  When Alvarado struck out Garrett Hampson to begin the seventh inning, it was his 11th consecutive strikeout.  Per a Tweet from Phillies Notes, he's the first relief pitcher since 1961 to strike out that many batters in a row.  Prior to this season, relievers Eric Gagne (in 2003) and Chad Green (2019) had struck out ten in a row.

Unbelievably, I show just two baseball cards in my Phillies collection for Alvarado.  He received a card in last season's team-issued photo card set, and this is his card from the 2022 Topps Now Road to Opening Day on-demand set.

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 149 - Suarez, Eflin, Alvarado Shut Out Braves

2022 Phillies Photo Cards #46

Phillies 1, Braves 0
Game 149 - Thursday Night, September 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 82-67, 3rd Place, 12 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Ranger Suarez, Zach Eflin and Jose Alvarado combined to shut out the Braves in this crucial 1-0 victory.

What It Means:  For me, I'm behind with my game summary posts for three reasons.  My work schedule has picked up, I took my last work trip of the year to Dallas this past week and my scanner has decided to stop working which makes it less convenient to scan baseball cards for these posts.  But I plan to slowly fill in the gaps over the weekend.

For the Phillies, they have a 2 1/2 game lead over the Brewers for the third Wild Card spot and they're a half game behind the Padres for the second Wild Card.  The team's magic number to reach the postseason is 10, and this win clinched their second straight winning season.

What Happened:  Suarez went six innings, allowing five hits and then yielded to Eflin who went 1 2/3 innings, striking out three.  It was Eflin's third appearance out of the bullpen since his return from the injured list.  Jose Alvarado recorded the final four outs to clinch his second save of the season.  The Phillies' only run came on a second inning sacrifice fly from Matt Vierling, made possibly when J.T. Realmuto went first to third on a single by Jean Segura.

Featured Card:  Alvarado has rarely given me reason to feature him in a game summary post, but since his demotion to Lehigh Valley earlier in the season he's become one of the most important members of the Phillies bullpen.  Since the beginning of August, he's made 19 appearances, walking four and striking out 27 over 17 2/3 innings, with an ERA of 0.51.  His two Phillies baseball cards to date can be found in the 2022 team-issued photo card set and the 2022 Topps Now Road to Opening Day set.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

2022 Chachi #24 Jose Alvarado

#46
Jose Antonio Alvarado
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  245
Opening Day Age:  26
Born:  May 21, 1995, Maracaibo, Venezuela
How Obtained:  Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers with the Dodgers receiving Garrett Cleavinger from the Phillies
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible in 2022, free agency eligible in 2024
Major League Teams:  Tampa Bay Rays 2017-2020; Philadelphia Phillies 2021-

First Phillies Card:  N/A
Newest Card Added:  N/A
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  2017, 2019

0 - Alvarado baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/6/22.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2021 Chachi New Additions #4

2021 Chachi #24
2022 Chachi #24

2017 Topps Update #US147

2019 Topps Update #US82

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

2022 Chachi #23 Nick Nelson / 2022 Chachi #25 Seranthony Dominguez

2021 Chachi #24 Jose Alvarado

#46
Jose Antonio Alvarado
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  245
Opening Day Age:  25
Born:  May 21, 1995, Maracaibo, Venezuela
How Obtained:  Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers with the Dodgers receiving Garrett Cleavinger from the Phillies
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible in 2022, free agency eligible in 2024
Major League Teams:  Tampa Bay Rays 2017-2020; Philadelphia Phillies 2021

First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Minor League Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  N/A

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  2017, 2019

0 - Alvarado baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/9/21.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2021 Chachi New Additions #4

2021 Chachi #24

A week after Sam Fuld was named the Phillies' new general manager, he and club president Dave Dombrowski executed the first transaction of their tenure, acquiring Jose Alvarado from the Rays in a three-team trade with the Dodgers.  Based on early results from the 2021 season, the deal seems to be a steal for the Phillies as Alvarado has pitched well (most of the time) in high-leverage situations.

Alvarado has not had many baseball card appearances to date, and his first appearance in a Topps flagship set came on a 2017 Topps Update Rookie Combos card.  Similar to a lot of new additions to the team for 2021, collectors are anxiously awaiting his first appearance on a Phillies baseball card.

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 26 - 2019 Topps Update #US82 Jose Alvarado

Phillies 2, Mets 1
Game 26 - Friday Night, April 30th in Philadelphia
Record - 13-13, 1st Place, 1 game ahead of the Braves, Mets and Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  After the benches cleared, the Phillies held on to defeat the Mets, 2-1, having earlier scored both runs on a second inning passed ball by Mets catcher James McCann.

What It Means:  With excessive winds and starters Bryce Harper, Didi Gregorius, Jean Segura and J.T. Realmuto all out of the line-up, and fifth starter Chase Anderson on the mound, the Phillies somehow pulled out a victory.

What Happened:  Anderson earned his first Phillies win, pitching five strong innings and allowing a run on five hits while striking out six.  The bullpen then took over, throwing four scoreless innings, culminating with Sam Coonrod securing his first save with the Phillies.  The offense managed only singles, but scored two gift runs when McCann couldn't handle a Marcus Stroman pitch in the second.  The ball bounced all the way to the backstop with both Brad Miller and Andrew Knapp scoring.

Featured Card:  It got a little tense in the eighth after Jose Alvarado struck out Dominic Smith to end the inning.  Alvarado celebrated the strikeout and then had a few thoughts to pass along to Smith, who didn't take kindly to the display.  Benches emptied and bullpens scurried towards the infield, but calm was restored.  Mets reliever Miguel Castro came way inside twice to Rhys Hoskins in the bottom of the ninth, causing benches to semi-empty again and I'm looking forward to watching these teams face off again tonight.

Alvarado has surprisingly few baseball cards, and hopefully he gets a few Phillies baseball cards soon.

Transactions:  Gregorius (ss) was placed on the Covid-protocol injured list with Rafael Marchan (c) getting recalled.

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Spring Training Game 19 - 2019 Topps Heritage High Numbers #639 Jose Alvarado

Blue Jays 3, Phillies 1
Spring Training Game 19 - Saturday Afternoon, March 20th in Clearwater
Record - 9-9-1

One Sentence Summary:  On a spring-like day back north, the Blue Jays defeated the Phillies in Grapefruit League action, 3-1.

What It Means:  With regular play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy covering the NCAA Tournament, this televised game was broadcast by the unlikely crew of Ricky Bottalico, Ben Davis and Ruben Amaro, Jr.  It was the second time this broadcasting trio had worked a game and . . . it wasn't bad?  Bottalico was a little too amped up at times for me, but I didn't have to mute the broadcast so I consider that a win.

What Happened:  Starting pitcher Matt Moore looked a little off in this start, and he ended up allowing a pair of runs on five hits.  Reliever Connor Brogdon also struggled, walking three in just a third of an inning.  The Phillies lone run came in the fourth when Roman Quinn reached on a perfect bunt single up the first base line and then Bryce Harper doubled him home.

Featured Card:  Phillies reliever (and potential closer) Jose Alvarado hit 101 on the radar gun in this game, while striking out the side in the seventh inning.  As Sarah Langs pointed out in this Tweet, Phillies pitchers have thrown one pitch at least that fast since the start of the 2016 season.  Seranthony Dominguez hit 100.9 mph on August 22, 2018 with Bryce Harper batting.  Alvarado is going to be fun to watch this season.

Camp Head Count:  63

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Phils Complete First Deal of Dombrowski/Fuld Era

2020 Chachi #56

2021 Chachi New Additions #4

2021 Chachi Departures #14

2021 Chachi Departures #13

2021 Chachi Departures #12

On December 22nd, the Phillies named Sam Fuld their new general manager, and the 39-year-old will attempt to deliver what former GM Matt Klentak could not - a postseason appearance.  Fuld has been with the organization since November 2017, and his title heading into the 2020 season had been "Director, Integrative Baseball Performance."  With president of baseball operations' Dave Dombrowski's oversight, Fuld will be tasked with hopefully re-signing free agent catcher J.T. Realmuto and rebuilding a bullpen that was historically bad in 2020.

Fuld played between 2007 and 2015 with the Cubs, Rays, Athletics and Twins and had a lifetime .227 average over 598 games.  His rookie card can be found in the 2008 Topps set, and oddly enough his former role with the Phillies resulted in two photo cards in both team-issued sets in 2019.  As part of the remade front office, Jorge Velandia was promoted to assistant general manager and Terry Ryan was given the title assistant to the general manager.  Ryan has been with the organization since 2016 and had previously served for 19 years as the general manager of the Twins.

* * *

Related to this news, the Dombrowski/Fuld tandem executed their first trade on Tuesday afternoon, acquiring reliever Jose Alvarado from the Rays.  It was a three-team deal with the Phillies sending pitcher Garrett Cleavinger to the Dodgers and the Rays receiving Dillon Paulson and a player to be named later from the Dodgers.  In four seasons with the Rays, Alvarado was 2-15 with a 3.46 ERA over 132 2/3 innings.  He has 161 career strikeouts to just 71 walks, and he's a hard-throwing lefty who could immediately fill a hole at the back end of the Phillies bullpen.  Shoulder problems limited him to only 9 appearances in 2020 for the A.L. Champions.

His first Topps flagship card can be found in the 2017 Topps Update set and most recently he was in the 2020 Topps Total set.

Cleavinger departs having appeared in just one game for the Phillies, back on September 17th.  He pitched 2/3 of an inning and surrendered a two-run home run to Robinson Cano in one of the many Phillies bullpen meltdown sessions from 2020.

And speaking of bullpen meltdown sessions, two other former Phillies relievers recently found new homes.  Trevor Kelley (4 games, 10.80 ERA) signed a minor league contract with the Cubs on December 14th and Reggie McClain (5 games, 5.06 ERA) was claimed by the Yankees on December 10th in the minor league portion of the annual rule 5 draft.

Departures - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Deolis Guerra - rhp (10/14/20) - Elected free agency.
• Ronald Torreyes - inf (10/15/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jose Alvarez - lhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jake Arrieta - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jay Bruce - of (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Didi Gregorius - ss (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• J.T. Realmuto - c (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Brandon Workman - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Phil Gosselin - inf (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• Heath Hembree - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• Adam Morgan - lhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• Blake Parker - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• David Phelps - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• David Robertson - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Reggie McClain - rhp (12/10/20) - Selected by the Yankees in the minor league portion of the annual rule 5 draft.
• Trevor Kelley - rhp (12/14/20) - Signed a minor league contract with the Chicao Cubs.
• Garrett Cleavinger - lhp (12/29/20) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers with the Phillies receiving Jose Alvarado in exchange from the Tampa Bay Rays.

New Additions - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Johan Quezada - rhp (10/30/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins.
• Ian Hamilton - rhp (12/7/20) Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.
• Kyle Holder - inf (12/10/20) - Selected from the Yankees in the annual rule 5 draft.
• Jose Alvarado - lhp (12/29/20) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays with the Dodgers receiving Garrett Cleavinger in exchange.

* * *

And finally, barring a major trade over the next few days, that's going to do it for another year of blogging at The Phillies Room.  I thought it fitting that the last card posted for 2020 should be a checklist.  Thanks for following along and I'll see you next year!

2020 Chachi #57