According to the latest Philadelphia Phillies rumors, pitching is next on the team’s agenda. Among the rumored names are Toronto Blue Jays Marcus Stroman and Kansas City Royals starters Danny Duffy.
Christmas is coming up and with it is a baseball allegory to ponder. Would you rather get one perfect Christmas gift at the cost of giving up a few things you like or receive two decent ones that you’re forced to pay some money toward? This is similar to the predicament the Philadelphia Phillies may face.
According to the latest Phillies rumors, their last minute Christmas shopping includes the search for starting pitching.
The Phillies have reportedly checked in on Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman. In addition to this young stud, they’ve done their homework on Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Duffy. Hypothetically, if they were to go after the latter, many believe Philadelphia may also end up with fellow Royals starter Ian Kennedy.
While nothing is imminent with any of these pitchers, the Phillies can surely add any of them. It’s all a matter of them wanting it bad enough.
Stroman is going to cost the Phillies a big chunk of their farm system. As a young, controllable starter coming off a career-year, Stroman’s value is at its height. I’m guessing the Phillies would give up at minimum three excellent prospects to acquire the 26-year-old righty.
This steep price might not be worth it. Why hurt the future that much when the rest of the roster doesn’t look ready to make noise?
Another direction they could choose, the Phillies can cut a deal with the Royals without surrendering nearly as much of their farm. Kansas City would love to dump some salary elsewhere. Specifically, the Royals would like to reverse the contract they inked with Kennedy.
A Closer Look at These Three Pitchers
Stroman is coming off a season where he went 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA. This helped him finish eighth in the Cy Young voting.
After having such a great year for an underwhelming team, Stroman has tossed his name into the conversation as one of the best pitchers in the American League. Finishing with such a low ERA in the American League East will surely catch a lot of attention.
Meanwhile, down in Kansas City, Duffy put together a 9-10 campaign with a 3.81 ERA. Kennedy finished with a much worse 5-13 record and 5.38 ERA. He’s the biggest drawback in this hypothetical deal with the Royals. That’s because he’s owed another $49 million over the next three seasons.
However, the Phillies can afford to take one bad contract if it means rewarding their franchise with a player like Duffy. Even if he’s not as elite as Stroman, the Phillies can keep the farm almost entirely intact if they’re willing to help save the Royals a few dollars.
To Kennedy’s credit, he did go 11-11 with a 3.68 in 2016 during his first season with the Royals. If he can give the Phillies numbers like these, the overpriced contract might benefit them if it also means adding Duffy.
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The Phillies will remain one of those teams in the hunt for a top starting pitcher this winter. The question is, are they more willing to sacrifice their young players for someone like Stroman or ready to take a risk on Duffy and Kennedy having better seasons? No telling where these Phillies rumors will go.