Five starting pitchers the Phillies could pursue in free agency
By John Town
It is no secret the Phillies need some major help in their rotation. These five starting pitchers could conceivably help the rotation next year.
This season, Phillies starting pitchers have ranked towards the bottom of the league in most major statistics. Their 4.86 ERA and 4.82 FIP both rank eighth-worst in MLB while their 6.9 fWAR is the 11th-fewest. Their 1.40 WHIP is 11th-highest while their 2.43 strikeout-to-walk ratio is in the middle of the pack at 17th of all 30 teams.
Aaron Nola has established himself as the ace of the rotation this year, but otherwise there are a lot of question marks. Jerad Eickhoff has been inconsistent while injuries are putting Vince Velasquez’s future in question. The rest of the rotation has been filled with an assortment of rookies with varying degrees of success.
It’s clear that Philadelphia needs to add a free-agent starting pitcher to the rotation this winter if they want to improve next season. There are several options on the market with varying degrees of cost needed to bring them here. Let’s take a look at just five of those options.