Last week, we learned that the Phillies were looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder. Today, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Enquirer wrote that Phillies GM, Ruben Amaro Jr. is more concerned about their pitching than their offense.

“I’m always concerned about our bullpen,” Amaro said. “We have some young kids throwing in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, and it’s hard to rely on them on a daily basis. They’ve never been through it in September, and they’ve never been through it in October, and now Jose Contreras is down, and we don’t have Brad Lidge.”

The kids Amaro is referring to are Michael Stutes and Antonio Bastardo. Stutes is 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA in 22.2 innings through 24 games this season for the Phillies. Bastardo is 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA in 28 innings through 31 games this season for the Phillies.

The workload is a concern for both rookies, so it makes sense to add a veteran arm that can work as a setup man while Contreras and Lidge are on the DL. Players that could fit that profile are Mike Adams, Luke Gregerson, Heath Bell or Francisco Rodriguez.

Image by SD Dirk under the Creative Commons License.