Which players who are highly skilled but not yet signed a contract should the Phillies target in free agency?
Which players who are highly skilled but not yet signed a contract should the Phillies target in free agency?
A few more players are now available for teams to pursue in free agency as a result of the players in the MLB having recently announced that they are not on contracts. Most of the newly added players to the Philadelphia Phillies probably don’t even make a difference.
However, they could sign former Toronto Blue Jays reliever Adam Cimber and former Milwaukee Brewers co-ace Brandon Woodruff, two clear and intriguing options.
Brandon Woodruff
Not many times does an elite pitcher get non-tendered and allowed to enter free agency. But that’s precisely what happened to Brandon Woodruff, the legitimate starting pitcher for the Brewers. Following shoulder surgery, Woodruff will miss the majority of the 2024 MLB season, if not all of it. The Brewers reportedly extended an offer to Woodruff for two years, but he swiftly declined, according to rumors.
Without a doubt, Woodruff has been among the best pitchers in the game for the last few seasons. He and Corbin Burnes formed a potent, dynamic duo that helped the Brewers achieve their most recent success. He has a fantastic 46-26 winning record over his seven-year MLB career, a 3.10 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 788 strikeouts in just 680 1/3 innings pitched.
He would blend in perfectly with the Phillies’ front end of the rotation given his impressive record. Maybe he could even replace the Phillies’ ace in the pitching rotation. The Phillies would need to exercise patience because it’s possible he won’t return until 2025. But once he returns, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Woodruff together form a formidable threesome that can successfully match up with any team in the league.
Adam Cimber
Adam Cimber’s season with the Jays was forgettable due to his constant injuries and inconsistent play. With a staggering 7.40 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, he went 0-2 and gave up 17 earned runs, including six home runs, in just 20 2/3 innings of work, leading to the worst season of his career.
After making his major league debut in 2018, Cimber has been one of the game’s more dependable relievers; based on his prior performance, the 2023 season looks to be more of an anomaly than a regression. With a 3.49 ERA and 1.21 WHIP throughout his career, he will be eager to prove to everyone in 2024 that he is capable of being the potent reliever that they have come to expect.
The Phillies already have a strong relief corps full of heavy flamethrowers, so he would fit right in there. Their bullpen would be the perfect complement to Cimber’s slower, funky-angle delivery, which would confuse opposing hitters. The Phillies’ bullpen as a whole has the potential to be unstoppable.
Although the Phillies won’t win the World Series just by signing these two pitchers, they will undoubtedly become more formidable competitors in the near future.