This offseason, many players have been linked to the Philadelphia Phillies, but few transactions have been completed.
Much of this is due to the roster already being packed, with only minor alterations required before the start of the upcoming season, not to mention their already large payroll.
Rather than pursuing elite players on the open market, they’ve been looking for depth pieces who can fill certain positions.
The Phillies were apparently looking for two pitchers in free agency, Phil Maton and Jakob Junis, to round out their bullpen.
Maton signed to a contract with the New York Yankees, which took him off the board.
According to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, Junis is no longer available after agreeing to a starting pitcher contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal says that the contract is for one year and $7 million.
Philadelphia has been looking for a pitcher almost all winter.
They’ve been connected to a number of players this offseason, and manager Rob Thomson has stated that he would prefer to have more than just the five guaranteed starts in their rotation to defend against injury and weariness.
Junis appears to have fit into that model, having spent time in both the bullpen and the rotation with the San Francisco Giants last season.
Perhaps that is the type of pitcher the Phillies are searching for as they move through the remainder of the offseason.
They have still been linked to Jordan Montgomery, who would give them one of the best starting lineups in baseball, but it appears to be a long shot unless his asking price is significantly reduced.
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