Bryce Harper, Phillies toast Seranthony Domínguez: ‘Pretty special what he did for us’

Since the start of the 2023 season, Seranthony Domínguez had posted a 4.19 ERA over 95 appearances for the Philadelphia Phillies. He increasingly struggled with his control. It had become apparent in recent weeks that the Phillies probably couldn’t trust him to be a high-leverage option during a World Series run, and that his $8 million club option for 2025 was a near certainty to be declined.

So it wasn’t shocking that the Phillies moved on from Domínguez Friday, trading him and outfielder Cristian Pache to the Baltimore Orioles in a deal that brought back outfielder Austin Hays. It’s a trade that makes sense for both sides, and could become even more interesting if the two teams ultimately meet in the World Series.

In the meantime, though, Domínguez had been the second-longest tenured Phillie on the team, and had been part of some special moments.

He came up as a 23-year-old rookie in 2018 and immediately became the best reliever in manager Gabe Kapler’s bullpen, posting a 2.95 ERA in 53 games.

Eventual Tommy John surgery cost him parts of three seasons between 2019 and 2021, but Domínguez returned with authority in 2022, pitching to a 3.00 ERA over 54 games. He went 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA across nine appearances in the 2022 postseason, with him and José Alvarado serving as major cogs for a team that made a surprise run to the World Series.

Prior to Friday’s series opener against the Cleveland Guardians, a variety of key figures in the Phillies organization toasted Domínguez, who made 230 appearances for the club over parts of six seasons.

Bryce Harper, teammates with Domínguez from 2019-2024

“I remember the biggest memories, ’22 and ’23 postseason numbers. I mean, it’s pretty special what he did for us in those two years. [He] kind of carried the bullpen in ’22 and did his thing. He came up in this organization and was one of the guys here. But, made that move and got a good player back.”

Aaron Nola, teammates with Domínguez from 2018-2024

“Oh man, [I] played with Ser for quite a while. He was a good teammate, man. It’s tough to see guys go, but it’s tough to see guys that you played with for a while get traded and leave the team and the organization. He pitched in a lot of games, a lot of big games for us. It’s tough, man.

“Hopefully, all the best to him to stay healthy. I know he had those couple of years or so [where he] went through the Tommy John [surgery] and stuff like that. But he came back strong, really strong. And he’s, his arm is liver than ever, I feel like. So just pray he stays healthy, obviously the rest of his career but all season and be good for their bullpen.”

Zack Wheeler, teammates with Domínguez from 2021-2024

“He was here for a while, kind of through the ups and downs. It was always cool to see those type of guys, you know him and Rhys and Noles … to kind of see them win here. It’s a special place to win. He pitched in some meaningful games for us the past few years and was a good teammate. So all around, I think he did really well here. It’s a tough place to play and he always seemed to keep the same mindset, kind of drive. He’s going to another good team over there, and hopefully he’ll do well and finish out his career, whenever it may be, on a high note.”

Rob Thomson, bench coach/manager of Domínguez from 2018-2024

“Well, Seranthony when he first came up, he was that high-leverage guy that you could really count on. And unfortunately, he got hurt. Seranthony is a guy that works his tail off and cares a great deal, and cared about this organization a great deal. And gave us a lot of really good innings.

This year it’s just been kind of hit-and-miss. I’ve said all year long, that as long as he powers the ball through the zone, he’s gonna get people out. And I think he will again. And when he does, he’s gonna get people out. So I think, he may need just a little reset, maybe a new setting for him. I think this is gonna end up being a really good trade for both clubs.”

Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations

“Well, Seranthony has been a good pitcher for us. I mean, we like Seranthony a lot. He’s done a lot for the organization. He’s been a Phillie from Day 1. So it was not easy. But we have a little bit of bullpen depth, although people keep asking, we’ll still be looking bullpen [help]. But we just felt that for us to get a right-handed hitter, we had to give up something. I had spoken to the Orioles a few weeks ago and one of the things they had talked about was that if they were going to trade one of their outfielders, they would have to be in a position where they got a big-league ready bullpen guy. So it was something that as we’ve gone through this and had conversations, it just seemed to make sense. But difficult for us to do, but we feel that we have depth in that bullpen.”

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