5 free agent starters not named Shohei Ohtani the Phillies should pursue this winter
Adding any of these starting pitchers should help fortify an already solid rotation
The Philadelphia Phillies are a team built around their star-studded lineup, but it's the pitching that has kept them afloat all season. Their rotation ranks 12th in the majors in ERA but seventh in innings pitched and they're at the top of the leaderboard in fWAR.
While the rotation is a strong one, it might not be together past this season. Aaron Nola and Michael Lorenzen will be hitting free agency. Zack Wheeler is set to hit free agency after the 2024 season, and Ranger Suarez the season after. With potential for so much turmoil in the next year or two, don't be surprised if the Phillies look to add to the rotation this offseason.
Shohei Ohtani is the dream target, and one that the Phillies will hopefully do whatever they can to acquire, but if the Phillies do miss out on Shohei, there're plenty of other arms Dave Dombrowski should pursue this winter.
1) The Phillies should pursue Sonny Gray in free agency this winter
Sonny Gray is in the midst of his age-33 season and is still one of the better and more underrated pitchers in the American League. He's spent most of his years with the Athletics and Reds, but has spent the last two seasons in Minnesota after the Twins acquired him via trade, and he's been everything they could've hoped for.
In 22 starts Gray has a 3.18 ERA in 124.1 innings pitched. He's allowed just five home runs all year, leading the league with 0.4 HR/9. He's also fanned nearly a batter per inning as he's struck out 8.9 batters per nine in 2023.
Gray was an all-star and will almost certainly earn Cy Young votes this season for the third time in his career. He could even be a Cy Young finalist for the second time.
He might not have the stuff other aces have, but Gray is a mostly durable, reliable arm that can anchor a rotation. He also has had some postseason success, posting a 2.95 ERA in his four starts with three of the four going extremely well. Gray would be a really good get to fit right in behind Zack Wheeler and potentially Aaron Nola in this rotation.
2) The Phillies should pursue Jordan Montgomery in free agency this winter
Speaking of underrated, the job Jordan Montgomery has done throughout his career and especially since leaving the Yankees has gone rather under the radar. He's been one of the best left-handers in the game.
Pitching for the Cardinals down the stretch, Montgomery played a huge role in St. Louis getting to the postseason, posting a 3.11 ERA in 11 starts. He didn't start in the series against the Phillies which obviously worked to Philadelphia's benefit.
This season has been more of the same for the southpaw. Montgomery has a 3.40 ERA in 22 starts and 127 innings pitched. He's gone at least six innings 14 times, and has allowed three runs or fewer 18 times. More often than not, you're going to get six or more innings with Montgomery allowing three runs or fewer. He might not be an ace, but that kind of consistency is needed in any rotation.
Montgomery is a pitcher I felt the Phillies should've pushed hard to acquire at the deadline before he ended up in Texas, although Michael Lorenzen wasn't too bad of a consolation prize.
3) The Phillies should pursue Eduardo Rodriguez in free agency this winter
Another pitcher I wanted the Phillies to consider acquiring was Eduardo Rodriguez. Philadelphia did in fact reach out to Detroit to at least express their interest, so we know they like him somewhat. The Tigers starter was about to be traded at the deadline to the Dodgers before he invoked his no-trade clause, nixing the deal. It was later revealed that Rodriguez decided to veto the deal because he wanted to remain east to be close to his family. It just so happens the Phillies are a team that plays on the east coast.
It's important to point out that Rodriguez has an opt-out he can excercise after the year, and that's how the Phillies would be able to acquire him via free agency. With only three years and $49 million left on the deal, it's very likely Rodriguez will be opting out based on the year he's had.
The 30-year-old has a 2.96 ERA in 16 starts and 94.1 innings pitched. He doesn't walk many (5.8 BB%) and doesn't allow many home runs (2.1 HR%). He'd be a really nice fit in the middle of this rotation.
Rodriguez is enjoying a career year, and it's always risky paying pitchers off of their one breakout year, but he does have a history of being a solid third or fourth starter which as we've seen with Taijuan Walker, can be valuable.
4) The Phillies should pursue Marcus Stroman in free agency this winter
Yet another pitcher who was involved in plenty of trade rumors was Marcus Stroman. With the Cubs going on a run before the deadline Stroman was not moved, but there's a good chance he hits free agency this offseason. Stroman has a player option worth $21 million which he seems destined to decline and test the open market.
If Stroman does test free agency, the Phillies should absolutely look to bring him aboard. Stroman is a durable right-hander who can eat innings and provide a ton of excitement for a hungry fan base.
Stroman is a pitcher Phillies fans should be very familiar with from his days with the Mets. He's always pitched well against Philadelphia, posting a 2.26 ERA in 13 appearances (11 starts). He's been even better pitching at Citizens Bank Park, evident from his 1.78 ERA in seven appearances (six starts).
What makes Stroman such a great fit for a place like Philadelphia is not just his personality, but his pitch style is perfect for Citizens Bank Park. Stroman is the ultimate ground ball pitcher, sporting a 57.9% ground ball rate this season. He ranks second in the majors only behind Logan Webb in that category.
With Philadelphia being such a hitter-friendly environment which is very susceptible to the home run ball, having a guy like Stroman who rarely allows long balls would be great. He's allowed just eight home runs in 128.2 innings pitched this season.
Stroman did have a really rough month of July which raised his ERA from 2.47 to 3.85 before landing on the IL, but for the most part, he's been great for the Cubs this season. He has a track record of being a rock solid mid-rotation arm, and would be a really nice fit with Philadelphia.
5) The Phillies should pursue Yoshinobu Yamamoto in free agency this winter
The Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan (NPB) are expected to post ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto this winter. This means he'll be available for all 30 teams to sign this offseason. If indeed he is made available, the Phillies should be all over it.
Yamamoto has been one of the best pitchers in Japan for a while now, and he's been dominant throughout his entire career there. He has a whopping 1.81 ERA across seven seasons and 180 appearances. Each of his last three seasons has seen him post an ERA below 2.00, including a 1.57 ERA in 16 starts and 115 innings pitched this season.
What's really impressive about this right-hander is how much of a control specialist he is with the stuff he has. He's walked just 14 batters in 115 innings pitched this season (1.1 BB/9) while allowing just two home runs (0.2 HR/9). Of course, MLB isn't the NPB, but we've seen plenty Japanese pitchers translate to North America, and none of them have the numbers or stuff Yamamoto has.
The dream scenario would be the Phillies finding some way to lure both Yamamoto and Ohtani together to Philadelphia, but that, of course, is just a fantasy that will not become reality. Yamamoto on his own would be outstanding.
What he has that the other pitchers don't is youth on his side. Each of the other four starters are at least 30 years of age while Yamamoto won't turn 25 until later this month. The Phillies can give him a deal for five or seven years and watch him still be in his prime while any long-term deal for the other starters on this list could end poorly.