Stoves are getting hotter this offseason as we near Winter Meetings, and arguably no team has had more going on than the St. Louis Cardinals, who signed three starting pitchers in Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, and now Sonny Gray in rapid succession in the few days before and after Thanksgiving. Gray was easily the most in-demand of the three, with connections to the Braves, Reds, and Phillies prior to the signing of his three year, $75 million contract with the Cardinals.
As far as rotations go, the Phillies are still in a relatively good spot following their re-signing of Aaron Nola, giving them Nola, Zack Wheeler, and Ranger Suarez. Still, Philadelphia is flush with cash and even more so with ambition and potential, and no one should expect them to rest on their laurels after taking the league by surprise and winning Nola back. They’re still rumored to be connected to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and it’s unlikely that their explorations and negotiations will stop with him.
Four free agent targets for the Phillies with Sonny Gray off the market
This year’s free agent market is pitcher-heavy, which is why most of the notable signings so far this offseason have been of starters like Gray, Nola, and Kenta Maeda to the Tigers. Basically, there’s no shortage of options for the Phillies to turn to, especially those who they might be looking at as middle rotation innings-eaters. Here are four that they could chase after losing Gray to the Cardinals.