Market reportedly taking shape for two potential Phillies pitching targets

As the offseason wears on and some of the top free agents in this year’s class remained unsigned, we’re beginning to see some development — however modest — in the market for two starting pitchers who could be in play for the Phillies.

A recent report from Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com concerns reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell: “Some now believe he might command a shorter, more creative deal for a team in win-now mode,” Cotillo wrote on Dec. 28, adding that “a person with knowledge of the pitching market” suggested a three-year, high-AAV deal replete with opt outs.

Snell’s market has been slow to develop this offseason, not because of the lack of upside for the 31-year-old southpaw, but because his profile is one with plenty of red flags. Snell has topped 130 innings only twice in his career, each of them coming in Cy Young seasons (180 innings last year, 180 2/3 with the Rays in 2018). He’s thrown seven innings in 23 of his 191 career starts. He’s never thrown eight.

But a short-term deal would mitigate at least some of that durability concern, and he certainly boosts any team’s postseason rotation, which the Phillies — a preseason World Series contender — can afford to think about. The Phillies obviously qualify as a team in “win-now mode;” with a separate Dec. 29 report stating the Phillies were in play for Snell, perhaps this reimagined structure increases their interest yet more.

It’s not a typical Phillies contract — long deals with relatively low AAVs and a lack of opt outs has been a hallmark of their free-agent signings the past half-decade — but they’ve shown a general willingness to adapt when the market dictates.

The other potential target with a little more clarity this week is Shōta Imanaga, who ESPN‘s Jeff Passan reported on Wednesday is expected to land a deal worth at least $100 million. It’s above what was expected of Imanaga’s deal at the offseason’s outset, with estimates generally falling in the $75-85 million range.

We floated Imanaga’s name as a solid Phillies fit, for multiple reasons, on New Year’s Day — and The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal linked him as a possible Phillies target as recently as mid-December.

Imanaga’s 45-day posting window ends on Jan. 11, so while the Snell sweepstakes might not come to a head for a while, the Japanese southpaw is likely to find his new home — whether or not it’s Philadelphia — soon.

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