Jimmy Rollins Urges Phillies to Acquire a Closer at Trade Deadline

Jimmy Rollins Urges Phillies to Acquire a Closer at Trade Deadline originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

With the MLB trade deadline less than three weeks away, the Philadelphia Phillies will be busy looking to improve the roster. One of the most important areas to address is the bullpen.

Jordan Romano has struggled, Jose Alvarado is suspended for the postseason, and the bottom of the bullpen has been shaky. Adding a closer would be a huge boon for the Phillies.

And for Phillies legend Jimmy Rollins, adding such a closer is a priority at the deadline. During an interview with John Clark on Take Off for NBC Sports Philadelphia, Rollins made a clear point about what the Phillies need at the deadline.

"We need somebody that can close out the games." Rollins said. "When we have a lead, we can count on someone to get three outs. Give me a guy that's going to get in there, I can give the ball to him and think the game is over."

It's a clear desire for Rollins, he wants the Phillies and Dave Dombrowski to target a closer. He wants, come October, for there to be a reliever in the bullpen who can come into a game and shut down the opposing team.

At this year's trade deadline, the relievers are some of the most likely commodities to be moved. The Phillies have already begun exploring the trade market, and there are a few names that would fit Rollins' description.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, while not as incredible as he was in 2024 (0.61 ERA), has still been great this season (2.91), and would be a top choice to fill the closer role in Philadelphia.

Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins is another solid option. He's been amazing, as he has a 1.66 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 43.1 innings this season. Griffin Jax, also of the Twins, is another potential option, though his 3.92 ERA isn't as great as his 2.03 ERA from a year ago.

David Bednar and Dennis Santana of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jake Bird of the Colorado Rockies, and Kyle Finnegan of the Washington Nationals are all potential options for the Phillies at the deadline.

For Rollins, all that matters is that the Phillies land a closer who can shut down the end of games for the team in October. While finding their version of Brad Lidge won't be easy, Clase or Duran could be incredible pickups that'd be much-needed additions in the bullpen.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 14, 2025, where it first appeared.