Should the Philadelphia Phillies have needed a top arm to boost their bullpen for the 2024 campaign, they may have sought a former player who might have been a good fit. That choice is no longer accessible, though, as Héctor Neris will not be returning to the area following his formal agreement this past Thursday to a $9 million, one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs.

Neris signed a Major League Baseball contract with the Phillies in 2014, although he didn’t start playing for the team full-time until the 2016 campaign. During his eight years with the team, he recorded 520 strikeouts in 407 2/3 innings, along with a respectable 3.42 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. With 84 saves in his career, Neris was a productive middle- to late-inning reliever for the team in addition to having successful periods as the closer.

But after the 2021 season, Neris signed a two-year contract with options with the Houston Astros to try his hand at winning a World Series. He most definitely achieved his goal and guided the Astros to their second World Series victory. With a remarkable 6-3 record, 31 holds, a 1.71 ERA, 246 ERA+, a 1.05 WHIP, and 77 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings of work in 71 appearances, Neris had the finest season of his career in 2023.

Neris turned down the Astros’ $8.5 million player option after the exceptional season, making him a free agent this winter. The Phillies greatly lost out on a sure-fire back end of the bullpen stud in Neris, who signed on with the Cubs for just $500,000 more.

He would have been a great addition to the team as the setup man or possibly closer, and his playoff winning experience would have aided the Phillies in their own championship quest. He is aware of what is necessary to do the task, after all.

The Phillies’ bullpen improvement will now require them to turn to other secondary or perhaps tertiary possibilities because a number of higher-end choices, such as Neris, have been going quickly in recent weeks. The team needs to move quickly before it’s too late, unless they are completely content with what they now have.