March 25, 2024
Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
As pitching options narrow down this offseason, could the Phillies make a push for free-agent lefty Jordan Montgomery?
The Phillies’ Opening Day roster is basically set, and there are two areas of concern.
According to USA Today's baseball insider Bob Nightingale, the team is fully aware of both — and could be potentially addressing them as the season approaches Thursday.
First is starting pitcher. The Phillies will be without Taijuan Walker for at least the first turn or two through the rotation (he has a shoulder injury and was very bad in Clearwater), and are planning to insert Spencer Turnbull as the No. 5 man. Turnbull was good this spring, but hasn't been good in the regular season since he started nine games in Detroit in 2021. He's battled injuries since.
The depth is thin, and the Phillies cannot afford to lose anyone else to injury in the rotation. It just so happens that a top of the line starter remains at large in Jordan Montgomery — a player the Phils were tied to via rumor for a lot of the offseason. They are kicking the tires on the former Ranger.
– The Philadelphia Phillies are at least internally discussing the possibility of pursuing free agent starter Jordan Montgomery but no decision has been made on whether they plan to contact agent Scott Boras. There’s a renewed sense of urgency with Taijuan Walker opening the season on the injured list with a sore shoulder. [USA Today]
Montgomery has a 3.68 career ERA over 140 starts and seven big league seasons. He's 31 and was a very effective arm during Texas' World Series run last fall. The team will likely want a short term deal, but based on the lack of other interest in Montgomery perhaps the Phillies can get a deal done?
An addition of a pitcher of this caliber wasn't expected until perhaps the All-Star break, but it would provide the Phillies with a really impressive top four of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and Montgomery.
A second nugget of rumor chatter was in Nightengale's weekend article — inside which he predicted an MVP for Bryce Harper and Wildcard berth for the Phillies — as well:
– The Philadelphia Phillies are on the lookout for a left-handed hitting outfielder. [USA Today]
Due to a lack of remaining minor league options, the Phillies traded lefty outfielder Jake Cave to the Rockies Sunday, anointing Johan Rojas their starting centerfielder and Cristian Pache the fifth outfielder. Aside from backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, the Phillies won't have a left-handed pinch hitter to call on, and that seems to be something the team is looking into.
The season begins Thursday at 3 p.m. against the Braves, weather permitting. We'll see if there are any surprise transactions before the first pitch in South Philly later this week.
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