The Philadelphia Phillies are now coming off four consecutive seasons where they have made the postseason. But despite going to the postseason for the last four seasons, they have yet to get out of the NLDS the last two years. 

While the fanbase is happy to see the team be consistent postseason contenders, they want more. They want to see this team raise its first World Series trophy since the 2008 season. 

To do this, the front office had its work cut out for it. They had several key contributors on the open market, but were able to retain two of them: Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto. 

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Phillies urged to retain backend starter who shoved down the stretch 

Despite retaining some players, they were not able to retain them all. Philadelphia lost out on Ranger Suarez after he signed a long-term deal with the Boston Red Sox. 

On top of that, they will be without Zack Wheeler to start the new season. He had surgery to address venous thoracic outlet syndrome. He won’t be available to pitch until April at the earliest, or most likely, late May, and Philadelphia doesn’t have time to wait.

So, Philadelphia could certainly use another arm. With limited options available, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter suggests a deal with former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler. 

“The Phillies could use a veteran arm to help take some pressure off prospect Andrew Painter at the back of the rotation. Walker Buehler quietly posted a 0.66 ERA in 13.2 innings for the Phillies down the stretch.”

Buehler was nearly lights out for Philadelphia down the stretch, and he would not cost the team much money. He could be the perfect addition to keep this rotation under control until Wheeler can return and reclaim his status as the club’s ace. 

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