Phillies rumor: Team scouting Yu Darvish vs Royals

Could the Phillies be looking to upgrade their starting rotation in the near future? The Phillies rumor mill has started churning with two weeks left to the deadline.

Trade deadline rumors, especially Phillies rumors, are rampant in the city as the team continues its rebuild.

One person in Kansas City today noted a couple of scouts sitting behind home plate during the Rangers/Royals game.

That fan confirmed to us that two Phillies scouts armed with stopwatches are watching the game behind the plate while Rangers starter Yu Darvish pitches.

https://twitter.com/I_Wendleton/status/886650293651419136

Of course, Darvish wouldn’t be the only player Phillies scouts could be watching in this game. Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas is a free agent this offseason, and Rangers infielder Rougned Odor has always intrigued the team.

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Philadelphia is very familiar with the Rangers organization having dealt Cole Hamels there last year. The team was incredibly interested in acquiring outfielder Nomar Mazara in the Hamels deal last year, but were unable to get Texas to budge on the 22-year-old outfielder.

Coming off a fifth-place finish in the American Rookie of the Year balloting Mazara has 12 home runs with a .256 batting average this season.

Darvish could be an interesting name to watch going into the offseason as a free agent. If the Phillies can offer him a contract structured similarly to Michael Saunders (a two-year deal with a large signing bonus) a deal could be had.

At 30-years-old Darvish is 6-8 with a 3.49 ERA and 125 strikeouts for the Rangers, just a couple of seasons off leading the league in strikeouts. His injury history is troublesome after missing all of 2015 following Tommy John surgery.

Moustakas participated in the home run derby and has a career-high 25 home runs this season. His potential arrival would mean the end for Maikel Franco, and possibly the end of the Manny Machado rumors after the 2018 season.

Kansas City, meanwhile, could use a veteran starter such as Jeremy Hellickson or a reliever like Pat Neshek down the stretch.

Next: Phillies 40 man roster getting a facelift in the near future

Keep your eyes and ears open out there Phillies fans, because the next two weeks are going to be fun and filled with Phillies rumor after rumor.