Phillies rumors: Should team have more interest in Dallas Keuchel?

Should the Phillies be more active in adding Dallas Keuchel to their rotation? Steve Sax of MLB Network Radio thinks they should.

MLB free agency has come to a complete standstill as only a few major moves have occurred this month. Spring training is less than three weeks away with many of the best free agents still on the market. Steve Sax of MLB Network Radio thinks one of those free agents, Dallas Keuchel, should be getting more attention from the Phillies.

Sax asked on the air Sunday why Philadelphia is not going after Keuchel like they have been Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. Sax said Keuchel would be a great fit as a left-handed sinkerballer between Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta at the top of the rotation.

Sax is not alone in his opinion that Keuchel would be a strong addition to Philadelphia’s rotation. They have not had a consistent left-handed starter since Cole Hamels was traded in 2015. His presence would help break up the righty-heavy rotation the team has had the last few years.

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To answer Sax’s question, the Phils are interested in Keuchel, but not at his asking price earlier in the offseason. He was one of several lefties the team was eying earlier in the offseason, but they reportedly did not want to offer him a five-year contract. They were not alone in this regard, which has led to Keuchel lasting on the market for so long.

At 31 years old, teams are worried about offering Keuchel a deal into the back half of his 30s. His situation is playing out very similarly to Arrieta’s last offseason. Keuchel may be forced to take a shorter deal than he would like if his free agency lasts into spring training, similar to how Arrieta had to. This would lead to a shorter deal for Keuchel, which the team may be more comfortable with.

Sax is stating that Philadelphia should be more aggressive in their pursuit of Keuchel. While there is certainly reason to be, like with Machado and Harper, the team is waiting things out as long as they can to make sure they get a deal they are comfortable with.

While teams may have interest in players like Keuchel, they are looking for the best deal they can get, so they will play the long con.