A Lefty Free Agent Could Sign For Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies, who re-signed Aaron Nola, have a ton of good options available to them if they want to keep adding starting pitchers to their rotation.

That was reportedly the front office’s objective after achieving their top priority of adding their ace back to the roster.

As of right now, Yoshinobu Yamamoto appears to be the Phillies’ top pick in the free agent market; his NPB team officially posted the Japanese sensation.

The right-hander is a highly sought starter on the open market, so his price would not be cheap.

With Eduardo Rodriguez coming off one of his best seasons as a starting pitcher in 2023 with the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia could turn to him as a less expensive option.

The left-hander pitched 152 2/3 innings and finished 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 26 starts.

He decided to test his worth in free agency once more and opt out of his contract with the Tigers as a result.

For the next three seasons in Detroit, Rodriguez was to be paid $18 million, $16 million, and $15 million. In a multi-year contract, he’ll probably be asking for more money overall, but this offseason, he won’t be expected to command the same kind of money as the other prominent starters.

The lefty was expected to make slightly over $16 million annually on average.

The Phillies, who could insert a capable starter like Rodriguez into their third or even fourth spot in the rotation, might be drawn to something close to that amount.

Any amount above that likely prompts Philadelphia to consider other options, especially in light of the players’ caliber who are up for grabs.

Don’t discount their attempts to sign the left-hander during the offseason, though.