Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are approaching Spring Training, and with most of the offseason already in the rearview mirror, the roster is nearly set, but one area still feels unsettled: the starting rotation.

A group that is going to lean heavily on the veteran stability of Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Taijuan Walker needs a pitcher like Zack Littell to add to the group.

 In 2025, the Phillies finished 88–74, earning a Wild Card berth but falling short of their ultimate goal. The season highlighted how thin the margin for error becomes when rotation depth is tested.

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Zack Wheeler missed time with an injury, Aaron Nola struggled through one of the least efficient seasons of his career, and Taijuan Walker had difficulty providing consistent length in his outings.

Their top prospect, Andrew Painter, is expected to join the mix, but relying immediately on a young arm is not a recipe for success.

This context around Philadelphia’s team makes Littell’s profile more valuable as the offseason winds down.

Philadelphia does not necessarily need to replace Ranger Suárez with another top-tier free agent, but rather needs reliability. They need a pitcher who can take the ball every fifth day, limit free passes, and pitch deep enough into games to reduce strain on the bullpen.

While he may not overpower hitters or rank highly in advanced metrics, he excels in skills that directly translate to innings. Since the start of 2024, Littell has been tied with Tarik Skubal for the lowest walk rate among qualified starters at 4.5%. 

His transition from reliever to starter in 2023 reshaped his career. Littell expanded his arsenal, leaned more heavily on his splitter, and incorporated a two-seamer to complement multiple fastball looks.

The result was a dramatic increase in how often hitters swung at his pitches. In 2025, his 51.4% swing rate ranked sixth among pitchers with at least 150 innings. The only names ahead of him were Skubal, Bryan Woo, Jacob deGrom, Garrett Crochet, and Kevin Gausman. That is elite company and shows how effectively Littell challenges hitters in the zone.

More swings lead to fewer deep counts. Fewer deep counts lead to more innings.

Littell ranked 11th in Major League Baseball in innings pitched last season, slotted between Paul Skenes and Woo. Since the beginning of 2024, only 16 pitchers have thrown at least 340 innings with a lower ERA than Littell’s 3.73 mark over that span. For a pitcher entering his age-30 season, that combination of youth, durability, and efficiency is rare on the market this late in the winter.

For the Phillies, this is about fit as camp approaches, and he is one of the best pitchers who can be a key piece come October.

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