The Philadelphia Phillies' biggest strength at the start of the offseason was its starting pitching. Even though they're losing Ranger Suárez in free agency, they have four pitchers who will be in the rotation next season: Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo, and Aaron Nola. Taijuan Walker and prospect Andrew Painter will compete for the final spot in the rotation during spring training.
If the Phillies want to add a mid-tier free agent pitcher as insurance against Wheeler or rather than using Walker, it won't be cheap. That's especially true after the Arizona Diamondbacks brought back starter Merrill Kelly on a two-year, $40 million contract with a $20 million AAV earlier this week.