Phillies pick up club option on José Alvarado for 2026

The Phillies announced on Wednesday that they picked up their club option on reliever José Alvarado for 2026, keeping the hard-throwing left-hander in the bullpen for at least another season. The pitcher has performed like one of the most electric late-inning arms in the major leagues at different points for Philadelphia, but he’ll have to prove he can return to that form after a 2025 campaign that was shortened by suspension and injury.

Alvarado, 30, has a career 3.47 ERA with 52 saves in nine big-league seasons. He’ll make $9 million next season.

After coming to the Phillies in a trade prior to the 2021 season, the lefty refined his abilities and emerged as a weapon in 2022 and 2023. However, Alvarado struggled in 2024 and fell down the bullpen rankings for the postseason.

He then came back at the start of this past year looking like his vintage self, until his season was halted in May when he was suspended 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Once he returned in August, Alvarado was not nearly as sharp. He later strained his left forearm in September and finished the season on the injured list. Alvarado had a 2.70 ERA in 20 outings before the suspension and a 7.50 ERA in eight appearances after it.

While Alvarado has insisted that his early-season success was not boosted artificially, it’s fair to wonder if he will be able to replicate that level of production moving forward. But at the very least, he’s a lefty who throws a power fastball and a biting cutter. It’s worth taking on another year for the Phillies with the kind of upside Alvarado possesses. The team has seen the reliever record important outs in Philadelphia, and he’ll have the opportunity to show he can move on from the disappointment of 2025 and do it again in the future.