Phillies lose out on Lance Lynn; major questions for Klentak
More money doesn’t mean fewer problems for the Phillies this offseason
Despite having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball the Phillies haven’t been able to use their wealth to use in their search for a starting pitcher. While connected to Yu Darvish, Tyler Chatwood, Jake Arrieta, and Lance Lynn this offseason general manager Matt Klentak has now missed out on two of the better pitchers available.
Lynn has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal worth $12 million with the Minnesota Twins, eliminating another potential starter from joining a young rotation. At first glance, the deal appears to be fairly simple and easy enough for Klentak to match considering the financial status of his ballclub.
Reports now say that Lynn had an opportunity to make more money in free agency and had larger deals available to him, but he felt the Twins gave him the best situation to win now.
Philadelphia has done a lot to ensure they win more games than last season when they finished with the third-worst record in baseball. Carlos Santana, Tommy Hunter, and Pat Neshek received lucrative deals that could entice a free agent next year with a large pool of blue-chip players.
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Arrieta still feels like the guy for Philadelphia with his connections to the front office from their days in Baltimore. Everything will come down to the years Arrieta gets wherever he goes, and Klentak clearly doesn’t want to do more than three years.
A one year deal for any starting pitcher at this point helps the Phillies in their quest to not just fight for a wild card spot, but to build towards the future. It gives a veteran voice to the young rotation and prospects coming up from the farm, and solidifies this team in another chapter of the rebuild.
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If Lynn was offered more money by Philadelphia than Minnesota and didn’t want to come here, it’s understandable. If Klentak couldn’t get the deal done for another reason other than years, then I have some questions for him.