According to Matt Gelb of the AthleticsStrahm was outspoken in his opinions about the way the bullpen and clubhouse were managed, which clashed with coaches and other team officials. Meanwhile, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has previously framed the matter as a matter of contractual control, telling reporters: “(Strahm is) a year away from free agency. We managed to find a guy we liked who has six years of (club control) and we think he can help us right away. So you have to give to get. And we still feel good with our lefties in the bullpen.”
For his part, Strahm brought one statement following the course in which he spoke positively about the organization and his now former teammates. “It was an honor to wear this uniform next to you and compete every day with a group that truly cared about winning and each other,” Strahm said. “I’ll miss every man in that clubhouse. I’ve never experienced anything like it.” Regardless, whether the trade was due to tensions with his teammates or with the coaching staff, the club felt it was the right time to move on.
Strahm came to the Phillies in December 2022 on a two-year, $15 million deal. In March 2024, the two sides agreed to a one-year extension through 2025 at a salary of $7.5 million, including a $4.5 million club option for 2026. Strahm got that option at a higher rate of $7.5 million by reaching 60 innings in 2025 (he finished with 62 1/3 innings over 66 appearances) and passed a physical in September. Although he was injury-prone during his years with the Royals, Padres and Red Sox, Strahm was healthy with the Phillies from 2023 to 2025, avoiding the injured list entirely.
The combination of good health and performance made his $7.5 million annual salary an excellent value. In 212 2/3 innings across 188 appearances from 2023-25, Strahm had a 2.71 ERA and struck out 30.5% of batters against a 6.2% walk rate. Excluding his 33 1/3 innings as a starter in 2023, his 2.46 ERA in 179 1/3 innings was 10th best among qualified relievers, just ahead of Edwin Diaz And Josh Hader. His 24.1% K-BB rate as a reliever was 12th best.
His 2025 was more of the same, albeit a small step back from his 2024 All-Star season. He pitched to a 2.74 ERA while seeing his strikeout and walk numbers trend slightly in the wrong direction. In 2024, he struck out 33.3% of batters, but this year that dropped to 27.3%. That’s still excellent and ranks in the 81st percentile according to Statcast. Likewise, his walk rate rose from 4.6% to 7.8% in 2025, which ranked at the 53rd percentile. Both figures suggest Strahm is still a capable, highly leveraged arm. That said, there were some signs of decline beneath the surface. His four-seamer speed dropped to 150 km/h this year, after being at 150 km/h between 2023 and 2024. His 21.2% groundball rate in 2025 was worst among qualified relievers, while his 59.0% flyball rate was third-worst.
Given these trends and the tension with the coaching staff, perhaps the Phillies were simply content to move on and enter 2026 with Alvarado and Banks as their lefty relievers. Meanwhile, Strahm will get a fresh start with the Royals, whose bullpen is quite strong heading into 2026. The additions of Strahm and outfielder Avenue Thomas bring the club’s projected payroll to $150 million, up from $138 million in 2025, according to Grid source.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
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