The Phillies have exercised the club option on left-handed pitcher José Alvarado for the 2026 season.
Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made the announcement.
Alvarado, 30, made 28 appearances for the Phillies this season and posted a 3.81 ERA (11 ER, 26.0 IP) with 32 strikeouts to seven walks (4.57 SO/BB ratio). He converted his seven of his eight save opportunities on the year and did not allow a run in 20 of his 28 appearances. Per Statcast, Alvarado averaged 99.1 mph on his sinker which ranked in the 98th percentile in fastball velocity and had a 47.4 percent whiff rate on his cutter.
He served an 80-game suspension for violating MLB’s joint drug prevention and treatment program from May 18 through August 18. After being reinstated on August 19, Alvarado made eight appearances before he was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left forearm strain on September 12 (retroactive to 9/11) and missed the remainder of the year.
In five seasons with the Phillies, Alvarado has made 259 relief appearances and has 17-12 record with a 3.48 ERA (91 ER, 235.2 IP), 308 strikeouts to 124 walks (2.48 SO/BB ratio) while converting 77.1 percent of his save opportunities (37-48). His 308 strikeouts as a Phillie rank eighth on the club’s all-time strikeout list for relievers. Since joining the Phillies for the 2021 season, Alvarado is tied for the eighth-most strikeouts among National League relievers. In 21 postseason relief appearances with the Phillies, Alvarado is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA (10 ER, 20.0 IP) with 21 strikeouts to 10 walks and 15 of his 21 appearances have been scoreless.
Originally signed by the Tampa Bay Rays as an amateur free agent on March 13, 2012, Alvarado was acquired by the Phillies in a three-team trade with the Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers on Dec. 29, 2020.
