The Philadelphia Phillies finished just 17th in the majors with a 4.53 ERA this past season, so it would certainly behoove them to add some pitching this winter.
According to Jayson Stark of The Athletic, that is exactly what the Phillies are going to attempt to do, as Stark notes that Philadelphia is looking to add a couple of starting pitchers during the offseason.
Stark specified that the Phils would prefer to land one pitcher on a big deal and another on a short-term contract.
The Phillies have been mentioned as a potential destination for ace right-hander Gerrit Cole, so he will surely be on their radar in the coming weeks, even if the general consensus is that Cole will end up with either the Los Angeles Angels or the New York Yankees.
If Philadelphia misses out on Cole, there are still a host of options the club can turn its attention to, such as Stephen Strasburg, Madison Bumgarner and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Aaron Nola was the only Phillies' starting pitcher with an ERA under 4 this past season, coming in at 3.87. The rest of the rotation was a disaster, and Philadelphia's bullpen wasn't much better.
As a result, the Phillies, who were expected to contend for an NL East title at the beginning of the year, won just 81 games and missed the playoffs for the eighth straight season.
Philly has not posted a single winning campaign during that span, and its relatively disappointing 2019 season resulted in the firing of manager Gabe Kapler, who was at the helm for two years. The Phils replaced Kapler with former Yankees skipper Joe Girardi.
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