Overview
- Both clubs confirmed the one-for-one swap, sending left-hander Matt Strahm to Kansas City and bringing right-hander Jonathan Bowlan to Philadelphia.
- Strahm, owed $7.5 million for 2026, returns to the franchise that drafted him and posted a farewell and reunion message on X.
- Bowlan, 29, logged a 3.86 ERA over 34 games in 2025 and remains pre-arbitration with multiple years of team control reported through at least 2031.
- The move follows Philadelphia’s two-year, $22 million signing of reliever Brad Keller, and the Phillies later added left-hander Kyle Backhus from the Diamondbacks to bolster lefty depth.
- Multiple reports cited growing friction between Strahm and Phillies personnel as a contributing factor, a characterization not publicly confirmed by the team.