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10 starting pitchers the Philadelphia Phillies could target in free agency

By David Esser

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 17: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Marcus Stroman #0 of the New York Mets in action during an intra squad game at Citi Field on July 17, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 17: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Marcus Stroman #0 of the New York Mets in action during an intra squad game at Citi Field on July 17, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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Sep 30, 2020; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Trevor Bauer (27) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the fifth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 30, 2020; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Trevor Bauer (27) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the fifth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

The Philadelphia Phillies should be in the market for a starting pitcher this offseason.

Despite their woes in the bullpen, the Philadelphia Phillies actually had quite a bit of success when it came to their starting rotation. Aaron Nola finished the season with a 3.28 ERA and the fifth most strikeouts in the MLB, new addition Zack Wheeler finished with a 2.96 ERA and the fourth highest WAR in all of baseball, and Zach Eflin concluded his “breakout season” by recorded a sub-4.00 ERA for the first time in his professional career.

The addition of Wheeler helped a ton, and an emerging Spencer Howard projects to provide a bigger boost in 2021. However, the Philadelphia Phillies will still likely look to add a solidified #3 to their rotation with Jake Arrieta’s contract finally coming off the books.

With that in mind, here are ten (yes ten!) free agent starters who could peak the Phillies’ interest:

Trevor Bauer

2020 Team: Cincinnati Reds

2020 Salary: $17.5 million

I looked at Trevor Bauer and what he brings to the table earlier this offseason (Should the Philadelphia Phillies pursue Trevor Bauer this offseason?), so I won’t spend too much time discussing him and his abilities. Simply put, he’s coming off a career year and will likely command the largest pitching contract on the open market.

Spotrac.com currently has his projected value set at $21.7 million, but he could easily surpass that number this winter. The Yankees just lost a series primarily due to their lack of elite pitching behind Gerrit Cole, and they could easily opt to splash big money on yet another free agent ace.

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