MLB Rumors: Should the Philadelphia Phillies Make an Attempt to Sign Jake Arrieta?
The Philadelphia Phillies enjoyed a phenomenal run of success from 2007 to 2011, as they won a World Series, made another trip to that championship round and were still in the postseason in the other years that they were not among the last two teams vying for the title within that stretch.
Since then though, success has been harder to come by for the franchise.
The team has now posted five consecutive losing seasons and face an uphill climb within the division, thanks to the presence of the dominant Washington Nationals, the New York Mets who could bounce back this coming season, and the emerging Atlanta Braves.
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Fans would like to see the team finally start to turn things around this season, and some of them appear onboard with spending big money on a veteran pitcher if that means being more competitive this year.
Over on Instagram, Phillies outfielder Nick Williams posted a picture that showed him working out with current free agent pitcher Jake Arrieta.
Arrieta is widely regarded as one of the better pitchers on the free agent market, and more than a few fans who commented on Williams' post expressed a desire to see their favorite team add the 31-year-old.
The Phillies' rotation currently features some young pitchers with considerable upside, but what it lacks is a true veteran who can come in on day one and serve as the ace that everyone else turns to.
A pitcher like Aaron Nola may get to that point, but he is not there yet.
Based on his track record, Arrieta could be the ace starter the Phillies could benefit from having on the team.
Still, it may be a bit early for the Phillies to start spending big money on players like Arrieta.
The team would need a lot of things to go right for them to be in contention for a playoff spot this coming season. It is easier to see them improving upon last season's 66-win campaign but still falling well short of the 85-90 wins that may be needed to make the playoffs.
The Phillies are still at a point where they should focus the most on developing their young players as opposed to investing heavily in veterans, and it seems that may be the direction the team will take for the rest of this offseason.
Philly.com's Matt Gelb recently passed along some information from sources who noted that the Phillies may be more interested in adding a lower upside veteran pitcher who is not looking for a big payday. If that is the case, the team is probably not going to be the one that signs Arrieta.
Sometime soon, the Phillies will be ready to seriously contend for titles again. But for now, the franchise may be best served to continue building from within.
