The Phillies have long been known to be wary of starting depth to bolster their rotation, especially given that. Zack Wheeler he is expected to open the year on the injured list. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski spoke to reporters (including Todd Zolecki of MLB.com) earlier today about the team’s pursuit, and Zolecki reports that despite the team’s desire for help, they have not engaged in the market for the future Hall of Famer. Max Scherzer before returning to the Blue Jays for a one-year, $3MM guarantee. Dombrowski went on to point out that the top left first is available, Lucas Giolito again Zack Littellthey are “no problem” and this is what Philile wants.
That may seem strange, but it is understandable. All three pitchers are major league starters waiting to get a chance to start full time, health wise. That’s not something the Phillies can offer, given that any additions will come behind at least Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo, Christopher Sanchezagain Aaron Nola on the team’s depth chart. That means it leaves one spot open in the back of the rotation even if Wheeler is healthy, but the team is making no secret of what it hopes to offer. Andrew Painter a significant opportunity in the rotation this year, perhaps as soon as Opening Day. If the rest of the rotation is healthy and another regular is added to the mix, pushing Painter in could force the club to go to a six-man rotation or drop someone in the bullpen.
Given that, it’s perhaps not too surprising that Dombrowski singled out players like Giolito, Littell, and Scherzer as the best fit for what he’s looking for. There are a handful of veterans left who look like they’ll have to settle for minor league deals like these Patrick Corbin, Tyler Andersonagain Marcus Stromanbut outside of that group the choice is very limited. Even if one of those players were open to joining Philadelphia, it might not be a good fit. Dombrowski emphasized in his remarks to Zolecki that the club’s preference is to add option arms to the minors, as long as Wheeler can return from the injured list as soon as early April.
It’s not impossible to find starters to pick on the free agent market, as evidenced by teams recently getting a minor league deal with the right-hander. Connor Gillispie. Dombrowski’s comments about the continued pursuit of pitching come after Gillispie’s deal, however, suggesting the team is still looking for more talent. That’s hardly surprising, considering Gillispie only has 34 major league innings under his belt and struggled badly in six starts with the Marlins last year. Fringe major leaguers like Gillispie are par for the course when it comes to available free agents who can still be picked in the minors, however, and that makes it easy to understand why Dombrowski has indicated in his previous comments that he is interested in trading for rotation depth.
If you look around the league, there are a number of teams with young players that could fit the needs of the Phillies. Cubs (Javier Assad), Dodgers (Landon Knack), Tigers (Keider Montero) and Awards (Hayden Birdsong) are among the teams that have potential players with significant major league experience but who are likely to be traded away in the year. It’s not easy for clubs to part with potential rotation depth given the value of that resource, but if the Phillies are motivated enough those teams may be better equipped to part with the type of arm that Dombrowski seems to want more than most. Failing that type of trade, an undrafted invitee to Spring Training likes it Bryse Wilson, Tucker Davidsonor perhaps Gillispie (if he gets an invite to big league camp as part of his deal) seems to be where the Phillies turn as they look to give the pitcher a shot for a vacant Opening Day rotation job.
