The Philadelphia Phillies appear to be content with their starting rotation going into spring training, even with uncertainty regarding Zack Wheeler.
Dave Dombrowski has not made any external additions to this point as pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater on Feb. 11. However, that doesn’t mean one can’t be added between now and then or even once pitchers start to throw.
On Tuesday, Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly labeled the Phillies as the ideal landing spot for bounce-back pitcher Walker Buehler.
“Ideal Landing Spot: Philadelphia Phillies,” Kelly wrote. “Buehler would be a good insurance policy for the Phillies if things don’t go as planned in their starting rotation. He did post a 0.66 ERA over 13.2 innings pitched with the Phillies last September after his release from the Red Sox. He was drawn to the Phillies in part because of his shared Vanderbilt ties with pitching coach Caleb Cotham. A chance to work with him for a more extended period, even if he could get pushed to the bullpen at some point, might be Buehler’s best option as he tries to get his career back on track.”
The veteran pitcher is highly unlikely to be guaranteed a spot in anybody’s rotation after his disastrous year with the Red Sox. His performances with the Phillies may have salvaged some value, but not much, due to it being a small sample size.
Buehler recorded a 4.96 ERA in 26 appearances (24 starts) last year. For the Phillies, he made three appearances and recorded a 0.66 ERA. Of course, that low number is unsustainable, but the Philadelphia coaching staff may have found something that helped him turn a corner.
The best-case scenario for Buehler would be to return on a minor league deal with a spring training invite or a major league deal in the ballpark of $2 million. This would minimize the costs for the organization while also giving him a chance to pick up where he left off at the end of the year.
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