By Michael Lipinski, Sports Talk Philly Contributor 
Like sands through the hourglass, so is the Phillies quest for back end of the bullpen support. According to NBC Sports Jim Salisbury, the Phillies have had “substantive” talks with free agent reliever Mychal Givens.
Givens, 31, split 2021 between Cincinnati and Colorado notching a 3.51 ERA, 54 K, 1.373 WHIP in 51-innings. For his career, Givens has a 3.41 ERA in just under 400 IP but there has been concern over his control the past few seasons. His walk rate has increased every year since 2017 from 7.9% to 12.5%.
Givens originally signed a $4.05 million contract with Colorado before being traded to Cincinnati for Case Williams and Noah Davis. His value is likely to be driven higher by a weaker than normal free agency class for relief pitchers. It was just a few days ago that the Phillies were again tied to former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel.
