Report Reveals Phillies' Surprising Free Agency Pitching Approach
Spring Training is just around the corner as the offseason continues to fly by. The latest report leads us to believe we know what the Phillies have planned to move forward.
By Thomas Erbe
The Philadelphia Phillies finished the 2023 season by losing game 7 of the NLCS at home to the Arizona Diamondbacks, falling just one win short of reaching their second World Series in a row. Heading into the offseason, they needed to decide to either sell off some pieces to build assets for a future run or add to what is already a competitive roster to go after another deep October run.
To date, the only notable move the Phillies have made is resigning starting pitcher Aaron Nola for seven years. They were reportedly a finalist to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto but fell victim (like many others) to the tactical spending of the deep-pocketed Los Angeles Dodgers. Outside of that, it's been very quiet in Philadelphia.
Fans have been hoping for at least one more move before heading into spring training, specifically in the starting rotation. One more notable starter would solidify the Phillies as a true contender to challenge the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. However, the latest report may be telling fans to pump the breaks on those wants.
The Phillies won't pursue Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery "barring an unforeseen market collapse," per @MattGelb pic.twitter.com/N7wyEvtEgD
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) January 12, 2024
Phillies Rumors: No More Help Coming in Free Agency?
The Athletic's Matt Gelb (paywall) cites a source as saying that the Phillies are done pursuing left-handed starters Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell. Whether the prices were too high, or they just feel good about where they are, they are out of the running for these two arms.
The projected rotation, as it stands, for the Phillies right now is Nola, Zack Wheeler, Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suarez, and Christopher Sanchez.
Ideally, you would have liked to acquire one more power arm to move forward. Having one of either Montgomery or Snell following Nola and Wheeler would have been a mighty tall task for any lineup to face in any given series.
Alas, the Phillies look to be content moving forward as is.
And in this "as-is" condition, Philly isn't getting much love nationally. They check in at just No. 6 in the odds to win the 2024 World Series, with an 11-to-1 payout that implies about an 8% chance of taking home the title.
More Philadelphia Phillies news and rumors:
feed