Phillies should feel regret over not signing Dallas Keuchel

Wednesday’s loss was another reminder how the Philadelphia Phillies should have signed Dallas Keuchel a few months ago when the opportunity was there.

Let the record show that it’s difficult for Philadelphia Phillies fans to disagree with comments made by Dallas Keuchel over calling out management after losing another game to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, because the pitcher has a point.

Back in June when the Braves convinced Keuchel to come on board, some Phillies fans were frustrated and confused over why Philadelphia didn’t make a strong push to sign the pitcher since they certainly could have used his skills in the rotation.

To say the Phillies pitching rotation has been inconsistent for the most part in 2019 would be a huge understatement when looking at how some players will shine one game, only to take a major step back the next.

Plus, with Philadelphia already facing heavy pressure to earn one of the playoff spots in the National League after opening their checkbooks this offseason for Bryce Harper, taking a chance on Keuchel would have put the team in better position to make this happen.

Keuchel has every reason to want to call out Phillies management for their lack of interest a few months ago since he clearly used this as extra motivation to come through with another stellar performance on Wednesday to help the Braves pull off the 3-1 win.

Clearly, the one-year deal worth $13 million Keuchel received from Atlanta is paying off in a big way since he’s gone 8-5 with a 3.35 ERA, and most importantly, has the Braves in great position to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Looking back, there obviously was no way for Philadelphia to know things would turn out the way they did with Keuchel in Atlanta, but also it’s still frustrating to see the lack of interest by the organization at the time due to the need at pitching.

With only a few weeks remaining before October baseball officially gets underway, Wednesday was another prime example over the recent frustration surrounding the Phillies in coming up short in key games for the playoff race.

Instead of Philadelphia earning a much-needed win to inch closer to the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs for that final Wild Card spot in the National League, the Phillies currently trail by two games in the standings.

In other words, thanks to Keuchel, the Phillies made things even more difficult for themselves in the race, and the Braves pitcher seems to be enjoying every second of knowing this key factor.