At present, the Philadelphia Phillies’ 40-man roster lacks a left-handed reliever who has made more than 25 appearances in a major-league season.

That’s a big change for a team that deployed two experienced lefties (Scott Eyre and J.C. Romero) out of the bullpen during the 2008 World Series.

So, it’s not surprising that a major-league source says the Phillies are pursuing one of the most experienced lefty relievers on the market: Dennys Reyes, a 14-year veteran.

Reyes, 33, is a free agent after two fairly successful seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, his 10th big-league employer. He went 3-3 with a 3.42 ERA in 79 innings as a Cardinal.

Oddly, he was more effective this year against right-handers (.177) than left-handers (.307).

-Jon Paul Morosi