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Philadelphia Phillies: 3 *cheap* starting pitchers to sign in free agency

By David Esser

Sep 26, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Julio Teheran (49) pitches in the first inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Julio Teheran (49) pitches in the first inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 26, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester (34) reacts against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester (34) reacts against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports /

Jon Lester, LHP

2020 Team: Chicago Cubs

If the Philadelphia Phillies are looking to replace Jake Arrieta’s spot in the starting rotation, why not look to the team that they initially poached Arrieta from?

Similar to that of Happ, Jon Lester‘s best days are very much behind him. The Cubs declined his club-option for the 2021 season due to his declining play, and he’s set to be 37 years of age for the 2021 season. His 5.16 ERA last year was the worst of his career, and he wasn’t particularly good in 2019 either.

With that said, there’s reason to believe that Lester could end up aging like a fine wine. He’s been an extremely healthy player for the majority of his Cubs career, and he doesn’t rely on high rates of velocity to get outs; he’s very much a cutter/curveball pitcher.

Bringing in Lester for his 16th season definitely wouldn’t put the Phillies over the edge, but it’s hard to argue him being hypothetically worse than Velasquez in ’21. Spotrac.com has his market value at $4.5 million, which is once again right up John Middleton’s alley in terms of keeping payroll on the lower side.

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Ultimately speaking, none of these options are all that exciting. If the Phillies were serious about competing next season, they would’ve been in on the Charlie Morton deal that was just finalized with the Braves. Alas, they weren’t, and they seemed destined to sign some super cheap starter this winter – or even worse, sign no-one at all.

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