One of the Philadelphia Phillies‘ main objectives heading into the offseason was to strengthen their starting rotation depth.
They already boasted an impressive group of four: Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, and Ranger Suarez—featuring a Cy Young runner-up, a consistent workhorse, and two All-Stars.
However, their No. 5 spot was problematic in 2024, and when Suarez returned from injury, he wasn’t as effective either.
Determined to improve their starting pitching depth for 2025 and upgrade from Taijuan Walker, the team made a solid move by acquiring Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins.
The Phillies are hopeful Luzardo can rebound after an injury-riddled season led to disappointing results last year. If he returns to his 2023 form, Philadelphia could have one of the top rotations in baseball, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers.
They’re also expecting to incorporate top prospect Andrew Painter into the mix, with reports suggesting they might call him up around July.
Of course, teams can never have too much starting pitching, and the Phillies may not be done adding to their staff just yet.
According to Pat Ragazzo of On SI, Philadelphia was one of eight teams that attended a throwing session at Max Scherzer’s pro day at Cressey Sports Performance earlier this week.
Interestingly, Scherzer’s former team, the Texas Rangers, wasn’t there, but Phillies’ division rivals, the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, were present. The New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Dodgers also sent scouts to the session.
Scherzer could definitely give Philadelphia some added insurance for their rotation.
Joining a team with such depth might be the best move for him at this stage of his career, as he wouldn’t be expected to shoulder a full workload.
Having reached 30 starts just once in the past six seasons, the three-time Cy Young winner is no longer the durable workhorse he once was. In 2024, he made only nine starts, so relying on him to pitch every fifth day might not be realistic at this point.
The Phillies might consider using Scherzer as a versatile option in the bullpen, similar to Joe Ross, or potentially slot him in to replace Jeff Hoffman and maybe Carlos Estevez in the late innings.
However, it’s worth noting that the future Hall of Famer has made it clear that he’s not interested in transitioning to a relief role.
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