5 free agent starters not named Shohei Ohtani the Phillies should pursue this winter

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.