Daily News | Phillies sign reliever Jeurys Familia to one-year deal as they continue to bolster bullpen
The Phillies picked up where they left off before baseball’s lockout began as they continued Saturday to solidify the back of their bullpen with the signing of free-agent right-hander Jeurys Familia.
The 32-year-old has been durable as he has pitched in at least 65 games in the last three full seasons and his velocity still sat last summer in the high 90s. Familia was an All-Star closer in 2016 and saved 94 games between 2015-16. But he has just one save over the last three years, primarily working as a set-up man.
The Phillies finished last season with a 4.60 bullpen ERA and blew a franchise-record 34 saves. One of the team’s main offseason priorities was to address how they would tackle the game’s final outs. But Familia’s wife, Bianca Rivas, later said that the scratch on her chest was from the couple’s 1-year-old son and the mark on her right cheek was caused by herself. Rivas said the two knives found on the floor by police were used by Familia to wedge a bathroom door shut after barricading himself inside following an argument. The chargers were dropped in December of 2016.