Yoshinobu Yamamoto supposedly had interest from the Philadelphia Phillies before he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now that that choice has been made, the Phillies may be open to signing someone else.
There are arms available that might improve Philadelphia’s roster, but they won’t have the chance to add someone as talented as Yamamoto. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that starting pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are being considered by the Phillies. With a track record of astute free-agency moves, the Phillies are still in the running to sign another top free-agent starter, like Montgomery or Snell, and they made a serious run at Yamamoto, whose presentation was praised. Snell, who won the Cy Young Award in 2023, might be the missing piece for the squad in 2024. The Phillies are in a fantastic position, but following the Dodgers’ actions, they may seek to improve their club in any way they can. Snell had a 2.25 earned run average, a 1.19 WHIP, and 234 strikeouts in 2023. For Snell, the 99 walks were a huge deal since they were the most in his career.
Free bases are usually not a winning formula. Over the past year, the great lefty has been indefatigable in finding solutions to his many problems. From what we can tell from his past performances, he probably won’t walk so many batters again. However, it’s hard to envision him failing to prevent runs to the same extent as he did in 2023. The 2023 World Series winner Montgomery was instrumental in the Texas Rangers’ triumph last year. He worked 188 2/3 innings for the Rangers and Cardinals, recording 166 strikeouts and a 3.20 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. After 31 innings pitched, Montgomery had a playoff record of 3-1 with a 2.90 earned run average. These two would be perfect additions to the starting lineup with Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler.
Their rotation would thus be among the league’s best, allowing them to challenge any team.
