CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Phillies upgraded their bullpen this winter with the signings of Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter.
They bettered their offense with the signing of Carlos Santana, the injection of J.P. Crawford's on-base percentage. And a full season of Rhys Hoskins won't hurt.
The glaring area of need for this team remains the starting pitching rotation.
The team added to its inventory of starters when it signed veteran right-hander Drew Hutchison to a minor-league contract on Thursday. The former Toronto Blue Jay will join a long list of candidates to win a spot at the back end of the rotation.
"It's a good depth move for us but it doesn't end our search for additional starting pitching," general manager Matt Klentak said.
Klentak had been looking to add starting pitching all winter. There is enough of it available as Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb, Lance Lynn and others remain on the slow-moving free-agent market.
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Arrieta is a former National League Cy Young award winner, but the time does not seem right for this rebuilding team to make a run at him. The right-hander will pitch at 32 this season and is said to be seeking a deal of six years or more. Length of contract is a serious consideration for this team. When Santana hit the free-agent market in November, he was said to be seeking a six- or seven-year deal. The Phils had no stomach for that. When he came down to three years, they pounced.
If the (length of) contract demands of the remaining free agents come down, the Phillies could add another pitcher in the coming weeks. If they don't, Klentak is comfortable with the group that has been assembled.
"We're open to adding a starter if it makes sense for us, but even if we don't, we are confident that this starting pitching group is going to take a step forward because they are really talented and they're healthy," Klentak said. "We're watching them here and they look great.
"The starting pitching market being as slow to develop as it has been has allowed us to get to Clearwater and watch our guys and evaluate them and see the look in their eye and see the electricity in their pitches and regain that confidence in our young starting pitching."
Aaron Nola lines up to start on opening day. Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez will be in the rotation. Nick Pivetta seems to have a good shot after making 25 starts last season. Ben Lively made a good showing last year. He's a tough competitor and will make a strong run at winning a spot, but so will Zach Eflin, Jake Thompson, Mark Leiter, Tom Eshelman and Hutchison.
As much as new manager Gabe Kapler would love a top starter dropped in his lap, he, like his bosses, remains committed to the development process that has gone hand in hand with this rebuild.
"You're always looking to upgrade," he said. "But there has to be a balance. If you bring in someone, a young arm might not get an opportunity."
Not long ago, the Phillies had some of the top payrolls in the game. From 2012 to 2014, they spent over a half-billion on payroll (only the Yankees and Dodgers spent more in the time) and did not make the playoffs in any of those seasons. That led to the current rebuild, which has been marked by disciplined roster construction.
"We're open to anything," Klentak said. "But the dollars and the years and the player fit would have to be right. We're not going to compromise on our evaluation and where we see the franchise right now. We're not going to do something that doesn't make sense for this organization."
That will continue.
"We've gone through this rebuild and acknowledged that it was going to be painful for a few years," Klentak said. "It has been. We're not going to do anything to compromise the future of that. We're going to continue to do this right. If there's something that makes sense, I know the owners will support it economically. It's up to us to bring that to them if we see fit. And if we don't, we're excited about the group we have here. We have ways we think we're going to help this group continue to improve. Either way, it's going to be a fun year."
