Section 215
Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
10 of 10
Next
Aug 1, 2020; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Drew Smyly (18) jogs off the field during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 1, 2020; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Drew Smyly (18) jogs off the field during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /

Drew Smyly

2020 Team: San Francisco Giants

2020 Salary: $4.09 million

I had to include this option at the end of my list because I knew some people would likely click off (lol), but Drew Smyly is a legitimate choice for a back-end rotation spot at this point in time. After a solid 2020 season with ex-Phillies manager Gabe Kapler out in San Fran, the veteran lefty has now put together 17 solid consecutive starts.

A midseason “bottom-of-the-barrel” addition from Matt Klentak last offseason, Smyly arrived in Philly and somewhat rejuvenated his major league career. He allowed just 31 earned runs through close to 70 innings with the Phillies, and proved to be a semi-reliable option down the stretch. He wasn’t great by any stretch of the imagination, but his 4.45 ERA was a step in the right direction for someone who had essentially been out of the league since 2016.

Smyly capitalized on his 2019 season, dropping his ERA down to a 3.42 while with the Giants in 2020. For what it’s worth, that’s 0.55 points better than Eflin’s. Smyly is also left-handed, something the Phils have struggled obtaining over the last handful of seasons.

Next. Philadelphia Phillies: MLB’s qualifying offer creates a Didi Gregorius dilemma. dark

Bringing Smyly back as a #5, or even a long reliever within the bullpen would only add to the Philadelphia Phillies shaky pitching depth. He might not necessarily want to leave his gig out in San Fran, but it could be worth kicking the tires on.

Home/Philadelphia Phillies