Phillies Interested in Extending All-Star Pitcher contract worth $90 million deal.
The Philadelphia Phillies might’ve whiffed on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but that doesn’t change what they have inside their star-studded roster. After re-signing Aaron Nola to a seven-year deal for more than $170 million, they have their eyes set on locking up another high-level arm already on the roster. The Phillies are interested in signing Zack Wheeler to a contract extension. Wheeler becomes eligible to be a free agent following next season. Dave Dombrowski has made it known that he won’t stop adding talent. If he believes Philadelphia can get better, he’s willing to do what’s necessary to get the job done.
Even with that being said, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports that the Phillies’ biggest priority is signing Wheeler to a contract extension. “Besides relatively modest upgrades, sources said the No. 1 priority is signing ace Zack Wheeler to a contract extension. It is something they always planned to pursue, even if they got lucky enough to sign Yamamoto.” The 33-year-old Wheeler posted an ERA of 3.61, a WHIP of 1.078, and a FIP of 3.15. He was above average in nearly every major advanced stat category, including fastball run value, xERA, xBA, chase%, whiff%, BB%, and more. 2023 indicated that there shouldn’t be much regression coming from Wheeler in the near future.
Since the 2021 season, Wheeler has thrown at least 153 innings in each season. He threw 213.1 in 2021 and 192 in 2023. He’s been an arm that can give teams 180-plus innings a season for most of his career. A reliable arm that’s produced is exactly what a World Series caliber team needs. Philadelphia has that with Wheeler and could continue to for a few more seasons if they agree on a new contract.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23385996/1239943649.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
The Philadelphia Phillies came up short in their quest to sign Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto earlier this week. The Phillies’ interest in Yamamoto points to at least some indication that Dave Dombrowski and company have a reasonable interest in upgrading the rotation this offseason.
But was Yamamoto just a special case worth due diligence, or could the Phillies be actively looking for starting pitching?
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently wrote that the Phillies may have their eyes on other available Japanese pitchers (subscription required).
“If the Phillies fail to land Yamamoto, they could enter the mix for two other Japanese free-agent pitchers,” per Rosenthal. “Left-hander Shota Imanaga and righty reliever Shintaro Fujinami, who spent last season with the A’s and Orioles. The team has had only two players from Japan: Tadahito Iguchi in 2007-08 and So Taguchi in ‘08. That number likely will increase in the future.”
The 30-year-old Imanaga has had a stellar career in NPB baseball in Japan, compiling a career record of 64 wins and 50 losses pitching for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Imanaga, a left-handed pitcher, became a name to watch when he started the deciding game of the World Baseball Classic in a win against the United States.
The market for Imanaga’s services has been lukewarm so far, but being five years older than Yamamoto and being an unknown commodity on this side of the world has probably contributed to some hesitation from interested teams. The Giants, Mets, and Yankees are clubs all reported to have some interest
Another name in Rosenthal’s report is probably a little more familiar to stateside baseball fans. Shintaro Fujinami made his major league debut last season for the Oakland Athletics and was mostly ineffective pitching for the lowly A’s. His stat line over 34 appearances (seven starts) was the stuff of nightmares with a record of 5-8 and an ERA of 8.57.
A July trade to the Baltimore Orioles was a little more promising, as Fujinami finished 2023 with a record of 2-0, an ERA of 4.85, and two saves all coming out of the O’s bullpen. The moderate improvement of Fujinami was not enough to convince the Orioles to tender him a contract, and he became a free agent in October.
