Phillies: Five low-cost starting pitching options still available

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With just over a month until spring training starts, the Phillies may have to look at a lower-end starting pitcher to plug a hole in their rotation.

Pitchers and catchers report for spring training Feb. 14, just over a month away. The group of Phillies starting pitchers headed to Clearwater will be nearly identical to the group there a year ago as no one has been added to the rotation.

As we get closer and closer to spring training, it’s looking less and less likely that general manager Matt Klentak will add a big-name starter via free agency or trade. Instead, they may be forced to look towards the lower end of the starting pitching market to find someone. Here are five players they could sign that fit this bill.

Jeremy Hellickson

This certainly wouldn’t be the most exciting option, but the Phillies are at least familiar with Jeremy Hellickson after he spent a year and a half here. In 52 starts in Philadelphia, Hellickson had a 4.09 ERA, 1.191 WHIP, and 2.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Hellickson split last season between the Phils and Orioles after being traded at the deadline. He finished the year with a 5.43 ERA, 5.3 strikeouts per nine, 2.6 walks per nine, and a 5.77 fielding-independent pitching in 30 starts. He struggled after reaching Baltimore, posting a 6.97 ERA in 10 starts.

Hellickson made $17.2 million after accepting Philadelphia’s qualifying offer after the 2016 season. He was hoping to boost his stock to find a long-term suitor, but after a poor 2017 that likely won’t be the case. He could come for a cheap price on a one-year deal after a poor season.

Andrew Cashner

Andrew Cashner is coming off a season of mixed results. He posted a 3.40 ERA and racked up 4.6 wins above replacement according to Baseball Reference, but he also continued to deal with injuries and had the second-lowest strikeout rate of qualified starting pitchers.

That ERA and WAR total points towards a breakout, especially for a guy who was below-replacement for the last two years. On the other hand, the other numbers leave room for skepticism and injuries continue to bother Cashner.

MLB Trade Rumors predicts Cashner will sign a two-year, $20 million contract this offseason. However, with how slow the free-agent market is developing, Cashner and other starters may be forced to sign a cheaper or shorter contract than they would like. This would be ideal for the Phils as they are hesitant to drop lots of money on a starter, especially on one with as much uncertainty as Cashner.

Wade Miley

Wade Miley has fallen a long way from his All-Star and Rookie of the Year runner-up season in 2012. In 2017 Miley posted the highest ERA of his career (5.61) with the Orioles. He led the league with 93 walks in 157.1 innings, doubling his walk rate from 2016.

Like Hellickson, Miley is a rebound project just hoping to find a team that is willing to buy into him. He has a track record to sell, but his performance with the Orioles over the last year and a half doesn’t inspire much confidence. He will certainly come cheap on a one-year deal for whoever signs him.

Philadelphia doesn’t have a left-handed starter anywhere near the major-leagues, so signing Miley would offer that advantage if nothing else. Granted, they can’t just sign him for that fact alone; the contract needs to make sense for the team.

Chris Tillman

Chris Tillman couldn’t have had a worse season just before he hit free agency for the first time. The Orioles rotation made Philadelphia’s look passable in 2017, and Tillman played no small part in doing so. His 7.84 ERA was the highest of any pitcher with 90 or more innings pitched, and his 6.93 fielding-independent pitching wasn’t any better.

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Tillman suffered from right shoulder bursitis (inflammation of the fluid-filled pads in joints that serve as cushions) at the end of 2016, and the issue carried over into 2017. He missed the first month of the season before all of his struggles. Who knows if the injuries affected him, but either way 2017 was a year to forget.

If Tillman’s shoulder is healthy, he could be worth taking a shot on as he is still fairly young (he won’t turn 30 until after the season starts). He pitched well as recently as 2016, so Tillman isn’t a lost cause yet.

Jason Vargas

2017 was Jason Vargas’s first full season since 2014 after missing time in 2015 and 2016 due to Tommy John surgery. He started off the year extremely well with a 2.22 ERA and 3.08 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 16 starts through the end of June, making all the time the Royals had to wait seem worth it.

Phillies rumors: Five low-cost starting pitching options still available