Inside The Phillies

Under the Radar Starters Philadelphia Phillies Should Pursue in Free Agency

The Philadelphia Phillies could have some holes in their starting rotation following the season. Here are some under the radar pitchers they should pursue in free agency.
Brad Wakai|
Under the Radar Starters Philadelphia Phillies Should Pursue in Free Agency
Under the Radar Starters Philadelphia Phillies Should Pursue in Free Agency

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Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies will have a lot of things to figure out when free agency rolls around after the season.

Two of their fan favorites and homegrown talents will be hitting the market at the same time.

Aaron Nola could be in line for a huge contract from other teams with the free agency class not strong at the top. Rhys Hoskins likely would have gotten a big contract had he not gotten hurt, but his hitting ability still makes him a coveted player.

The Phillies will need another starting pitcher regardless if they keep Nola or not.

The backend of their rotation has been questionable at times this season and the front office should be looking to upgrade with some under the radar players.

Kenta Maeda could be a cheap option for Philadelphia.

The 35-year-old is in the final year of his contract with the Minnesota Twins posting a record of 6-7 with a 4.28 ERA.

Considering his age and lack of top end production the last couple seasons, the Phillies could get him in for cheap and use him as an innings eater to help out the bullpen.

Another option is Seth Lugo, who has a player option in his contract with the San Diego Padres.

The veteran right hander moved into the starting rotation this year for the Padres after primarily being a reliever with the New York Mets for the past five seasons.

In 24 starts, he has a 7-7 record and ERA of 3.83.

Depending on if he wants to test free agency or not, Philadelphia should target him to be a backend starter and move into the bullpen if they make the playoffs.

Regardless of if they keep Nola or not, the front office will need to add another starter.

Their trade deadline acquisition Michael Lorenzen is also hitting free agency and could be targeted by other teams as well, limiting the options they have signed to their roster heading into 2024.

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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently is the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. He is also a contributor at FanSided, writing about the Philadelphia 76ers for The Sixers Sense. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai

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