3 Dream free agent pitchers to upgrade the Phillies rotation

The Philadelphia Phillies should target Robbie Ray in free agency

While it’s unlikely that the Blue Jays will part with the pitcher likely to win the American League Cy Young, Dave Dombrowski has been known to pull off a starting pitcher coup before. He even did it with former Blue Jay David Price, giving him the most lucrative contract in pitcher history to that point.

Robbie Ray turned out one of the greatest seasons by a pitcher in 2021. The 30-year-old southpaw led the American League in ERA (2.84), ERA+ (154), WHIP (1.045), starts (32), and innings pitched (193 1/3), and overtook Zack Wheeler for MLB-lead in strikeouts, finishing the season with 248. In doing so, he became the first pitcher in Jays franchise history to be the MLB strikeout leader. He also led MLB in double-digit strikeout games.

This was Ray’s best season of his eight-year career by far, and

Ray is eligible for a qualifying offer, and the Jays would be fools not to extend one, but with the season he just had, they’d be better served offering him a lucrative contract. Otherwise, he’s fair game.

With three righties in Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Kyle Gibson, it would make sense to have Ray join Ranger Suárez, currently the lone lefty in the rotation.