Philadelphia Phillies

As the Philadelphia Phillies continue their fight for a playoff spot in the National League, their front office is exploring the trade market for pitching help. 

Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Phillies have had discussions with the Cleveland Indians about Trevor Bauer. 

It's unclear what the Phillies would be willing to give up in a potential return for Bauer, but the Indians would likely be seeking someone who can make an immediate contribution to their team. 

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, it's "not out of the question [the Indians] would move Bauer, particularly if they acquired major league help in return."

The Indians are leading the American League wild-card standings and three games behind the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. Bauer has been their best pitcher this season with a 3.49 ERA and 179 strikeouts in an MLB-high 152.1 innings. 

Since Bauer is under team control for one more season, the Indians could use that as leverage in an attempt to drive up their asking price. They could also choose to keep the right-hander as they pursue a playoff spot this year and then examine trade possibilities during the offseason. 

Philadelphia is in dire need of rotation help down the stretch. Aaron Nola is the only Phillies starter with an ERA under 4.00. Their collective 4.53 ERA ranks 17th in MLB. 

The Phillies trail the St. Louis Cardinals by one game in the loss column for the second NL wild-card spot. They are only one game behind the Washington Nationals for the No. 1 wild-card slot. 

The Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly shown interest in Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

Stroman, 28, is in the midst of one of his best MLB seasons at 5-10 with a 3.25 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 88 strikeouts in 110.2 innings pitched. He was also named an All-Star for the first time.

Marcus Stroman, Filthy 92mph Sinker movement. 😯 pic.twitter.com/BCo15gyYAW

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 14, 2019

The Jays are widely expected to move Stroman—who is arbitration-eligible next season—since they are tied for the third-worst record in the American League at 36-62.

Perhaps no playoff-contending team in Major League Baseball needs starting pitching help more desperately than the Phillies.

Their team ERA of 4.78 ranks 20th in the majors, and their ERA among starters isn't much better at 4.62, which ranks 18th.

Aaron Nola was supposed to be an ace for Philadelphia this season after finishing third in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2018, but he has been somewhat disappointing with a 3.63 ERA.

The rest of the rotation has been even worse with Jake Arrieta (4.54 ERA), Zach Eflin (4.16 ERA), Nick Pivetta (5.74 ERA) and Vince Velasquez (4.87 ERA) all performing at a level best described as average or worse.

Also, Arrieta is pitching through bone spurs in his right elbow, so there is no telling how much longer he can go before requiring a stint on the injured list.

Philly's poor pitching is spoiling a star-studded lineup that includes the likes of outfielder Bryce Harper, catcher J.T. Realmuto, first baseman Rhys Hoskins and shortstop Jean Segura.

The Phillies are third in the NL East and trail the division-leading Atlanta Braves by 7.5 games. They are only a half-game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the second wild-card spot, however.

If the Phillies don't do something about their starting pitching situation, they are in line to miss the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.

The Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly agreed to a deal with left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

The 30-year-old began the year with the Texas Rangers but was designated for assignment at the end of June. He then signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers but elected for free agency a few weeks later, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Smyly could provide depth to a rotation that has major question marks beyond Aaron Nola. Jake Arrieta and Zach Eflin have been inconsistent, while the rest of the staff has struggled for much of the year.

Smyly could also provide balance on a staff full of righties. 

However, it's difficult to expect much from a pitcher who hasn't been fully healthy since 2016. The veteran posted a 4.88 ERA in 175.1 innings that season but then missed the next two years while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

He returned to the majors with the Rangers but only posted a 1-5 record and 8.42 ERA in 13 appearances (nine starts). He also spent some time on the injured list with nerve tightness.

Smyly made three starts for the Brewers' Triple-A team in San Antonio, allowing seven earned runs in 12.2 innings. On the plus side, he struck out 18 while walking only three in that stretch, which might have been enough to convince another team to take a chance on him as a starter or relief option.

The Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly looking to bolster their starting pitching ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. 

According to NBC Sports' Jim Salisbury, the Phillies have spoken to a handful of teams about the possibility of a deal for a starting pitcher in addition to being "in talks" to sign Drew Smyly as a free agent: 

"It is well known that the Phillies are in the market for starting pitching. They have spoken to the Texas Rangers about Mike Minor, the Detroit Tigers about Matthew Boyd and the San Francisco Giants about Madison Bumgarner. They have also investigated the possibility of trading for Zack Greinke, Arizona’s high-priced right-hander.

"In addition to inquiring about and gauging what it would take to get a top starter—the price is high and the Phils don't want to give up the multiples of top prospects that other clubs are asking for—the Phils have also considered marginal upgrades like Andrew Cashner, who was traded from Baltimore to Boston, and Homer Bailey, who went from Kansas City to Oakland."

Smyly exercised his release clause to opt out of his minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers earlier Thursday, which makes the 30-year-old starter a free agent. 

Should Smyly sign with the Phillies, he would fall under the marginal upgrade category. In nine starts for the Texas Rangers this season, Smyly posted a 1-5 record and 8.42 ERA before the club designated him for assignment last month. 

The allure of adding aces such as Bumgarner, Boyd, Minor and Greinke speaks for itself. Of those four, Minor holds the best ERA at 2.73. Greinke, the 2009 Cy Young Award winner, is slightly behind Minor with a 2.95 ERA. 

Boyd is enjoying the best season of his career with the 29-62 Tigers, who are expected to be sellers at the deadline. Boyd ranks fourth behind Gerrit Cole, Chris Sale and Max Scherzer with 12.00 strikeouts per nine innings through 19 starts, according to FanGraphs.

While Bumgarner is a four-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion as well as a former World Series MVP, the 29-year-old is having a relatively down season at 5-7 with a 3.86 ERA for the 47-49 Giants.

Prior to Salisbury's report, MLB Network's Jon Morosi linked Minor to the Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers as two teams "showing interest" as the 31-year-old southpaw being dealt has become "increasingly likely."

Philadelphia's starting rotation ranked 21st in MLB with a 6.04 defensive wins above replacement mark and 19th in the league with a 4.76 ERA as of Thursday, according to Baseball Reference and ESPN. Among the Phillies' five starters, ace Aaron Nola is the only one with an ERA below 4.00 at 3.77. 

Entering Thursday night's league action, the 50-47 Phillies are eight games back in the National League East but are tied with the Brewers for the second NL wild-card slot.

Major League Baseball has suspended Philadelphia Phillies closer Hector Neris three games for intentionally plunking Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman David Freese on Tuesday, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. 

Neris drilled Freese with a 95-mph fastball to his upper back just two pitches after allowing a go-ahead three-run homer to pinch hitter Matt Beaty, who gave L.A. an 8-6 ninth-inning lead.

After throwing one ball to Freese, Neris went up and in on the 2011 World Series MVP before getting immediately tossed from the game.

Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Neris will appeal.

Neris will be hard-pressed to win given the circumstances surrounding the beaning, as he had just given up a long ball to blow the save before throwing a fastball near Freese's head.

Of course, it's possible Neris lost control of the pitch, but home-plate umpire Chris Conroy's snap ejection suggested he felt strongly otherwise.

On the bright side, the Phils won 9-8 after scoring three in the bottom half of the frame thanks in part to Bryce Harper's walk-off two-run double.

Overall, though, Philadelphia has endured a disappointing year after sky-high preseason expectations following a series of acquisitions, including Harper, catcher J.T. Realmuto and outfielder Andrew McCutchen.

The bullpen has played a part in the Phillies' so-so 49-46 campaign.

Of note, Neris has also struggled in the closer's role after replacing the injured David Robertson, going 2-4 with a 4.08 ERA overall. He's blown four saves since June 14 and has seen a 1.88 ERA on June 11 balloon two-plus runs. The 30-year-old right-hander has also given up six earned runs over his last four outings.

The Dodgers and Phils play the third matchup in their four-game set at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Philadelphia Phillies general manager Matt Klentak and president Andy MacPhail reportedly agreed to new contracts that have not been announced by the club.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported Klentak signed a three-year agreement that will take him through the 2022 season in March. MacPhail, meanwhile, is under contract through 2021 after signing a three-year extension back in 2017.

Klentak has been the Phillies' general manager since October 2015. He helped the club get out of a haze of financially strapped mediocrity while building the club through draft picks and trades.

It set the stage for a massive winter where Philly brought in Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen and others via free agency and J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura via trade.

The Phillies are 49-46, sitting in third place in the NL East chase.

MacPhail is an MLB front office veteran with decades of experience who also joined the Phillies in 2015. His and Klentak's vision has helped turn Philly into a vibrant baseball city again, though the club has fallen short of division-winning expectations.

It's unclear why the Phillies chose to keep the contract extensions secret. Whereas player contract details are leaked regularly, there is more secrecy regarding the deals given to executives—perhaps because there is less public interest.

However, it's probably good news for Phillies fans to know the architects of their current roster are here to stay. 

Slugger Ryan Howard never won a Dundie Award, but the Philadelphia Phillies decided he was still worth celebrating at Citizens Bank Park prior to their game against the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

Philadelphia honored Howard much in the same way it recognized Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley earlier this season, and he received a special message from actor B.J. Novak.

Novak famously played the character Ryan Howard on The Office and had some fun with the celebration on Sunday:

"Everyone can agree that there's nothing more satisfying than celebrating all the time you had with The Big Piece.

That's what she said."

Ryan Howard on Ryan Howard pic.twitter.com/h3csBCn8Nn

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 14, 2019

The Phillies' Howard played in Philadelphia from 2004 through 2016 and won a National League MVP, Silver Slugger, Rookie of the Year and 2008 World Series title while making three All-Star Games.

That's a solid resume, but Novak won the Hottest in the Office Dundie Award at a Chili's, so the more successful Ryan Howard is still up for debate.

All is not lovely in the City of Brotherly Love.

The Philadelphia Phillies enter the second half of the MLB season at 47-43, in third place in the National League East behind the first-place Atlanta Braves and surging Washington Nationals.

It's easy to blame outfielder Bryce Harper, the Phils' gaudy offseason acquisition. But another expensive culprit is an even bigger issue.

Sure, Harper inked a record-breaking 13-year, $330 pact over the offseason and is hitting a mediocre .253 with 105 strikeouts in 90 games for the Phillies. The 26-year-old failed to make the National League All-Star team in his first campaign in Philadelphia. That's a bad look, to put it mildly.

However, at least Harper has clubbed 16 home runs, has a .370 on-base percentage and 2.0 WAR by FanGraphs' measure.

Instead, Citizens Bank Park's infamous boo birds should aim their ire at a different target: Jake Arrieta.

The right-hander signed a three-year, $75 million contract with the Phillies in March 2018. That season, he posted a 3.96 ERA in 172.2 innings. Not disastrous, but far from excellent.

So far in 2019, Arrieta owns a 4.67 ERA and even worse 5.07 FIP with 0.6 WAR. And that's merely the tip of the troubling iceberg.

After posting an average fastball velocity of 94.9 mph in his Cy Young Award-winning season with the Chicago Cubs in 2015—the apex of his career—Arrieta is throwing his average heater at 92.8 mph this season.

Here's how his hard-contact rate has changed in the same span: 22.1 percent (2015), 25.2 percent (2016), 29.4 percent (2017), 27.7 percent (2018), 36.7 percent (2019).

The 33-year-old is also battling bone spurs in his right (throwing) elbow.

"Physically, I'm not in a great spot," he told reporters on July 7.

On Wednesday, manager Gabe Kapler added: "He's having a harder time getting extended the way he normally does, especially on that curveball. This is limiting his ability to throw the ball where he wants to throw it."

So, Arrieta is underperforming and has injury concerns. But we aren't done yet.

In April, in front of reporters, Arrieta openly criticized Harper for arguing with the umpires and getting ejected. Fair or not, it was something that could have been handled behind closed doors without risking clubhouse discord.

More recently, in a July 6 game against the division-rival New York Mets, Arrieta gave up 11 hits and three hit-by-pitches in 4.1 innings in a 6-5 loss.

One of the players he plugged was Mets third baseman Todd Frazier, who took exception and apparently made comments to the umpires.

"[If] Frazier's not happy about it, he can come see me and I'll put a dent in his skull," Arrieta told reporters after the game. "He didn't say [anything] to me. Talking to the umpire. I'm 25 feet away. He wants to come out there, he can come out there."

A fine or some form of discipline from the league could be forthcoming. A pitcher threatening to dent a hitter's skull is no laughing matter.

It's sports. Emotions run high. Adrenaline rushes. But those sound an awful lot like the words of an exceedingly frustrated player.

Arrieta should be frustrated. The Phillies should be more frustrated.

Philadelphia's starting corps ranks 19th in the game with a 4.64 ERA. The Phillies may be forced to raid their farm system to make a trade-deadline splash and shore up their rotation, even with ace Aaron Nola getting his groove back.

Meanwhile, Arrieta is earning $25 million this season while he grossly underperforms and causes unneeded distractions. 

Harper deserves his share of finger-wagging and, if the Phils fans insist, boos.

But Arrieta is giving the Phillies even less bang for their buck—and bringing the most discord to the City of Brotherly Love.

              

All statistics current as of Wednesday and courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball Reference.

Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said Wednesday starting pitcher Jake Arrieta will continue to pitch through a bone spur in his pitching elbow while undergoing further evaluation.

Kapler said during an appearance on 94 WIP SportsRadio that the starter's elbow "is limiting his ability to get into certain positions," which played a role in his poor first half of the 2019 season:

"He's having a harder time getting extended the way he normally does, especially on that curveball. This is limiting his ability to throw the ball where he wants to throw it. All of that said, Jake is a competitor and for the Phillies, it's always worth considering if Jake at 85 percent of himself is a better option than what we have at Triple-A. It's not terribly uncommon for veteran pitchers to successfully pitch with issues like this one. So as of now, Jake will make his start of us against the [Washington] Nationals and we're going to support him."

Kapler added Arrieta will get "some scans" to help determine the next steps, including whether he'll need surgery to rectify the injury.

Arrieta won the National League Cy Young Award with the Chicago Cubs in 2015, posting a 1.77 ERA and 0.87 WHIP with 236 strikeouts in 229 innings. His numbers have steadily declined since that point, however, including a 4.67 ERA across 18 starts so far in 2019.

"Physically, I'm not in a great spot," he told reporters Saturday. "I think we'll have a better idea over the next couple of days where I'm at."

The Phillies sit third in the NL East with a 47-43 record, 6.5 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves. They do own the NL's second wild-card spot, though.

If Philly opts to shut Arrieta down, it would likely turn to prospect Enyel De Los Santos to fill the void behind ace Aaron Nola and Co. in the starting rotation. The 23-year-old Dominican Republic native owns a 3.45 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 47 innings across 10 starts at the Triple-A level this year.

For now, the Phillies are planning to send Arrieta to the mound during their series against the Nats, which kicks off Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jake Arrieta is dealing with a bone spur.   

According to Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb of The Athletic, "Arrieta has a bone spur in his right elbow, according to a source, and it likely will require surgery to remove it—surgery that those involved had hoped could wait until the end of the season. That delay is no longer certain."

According to that report, the Phillies "were aware of the bone spur in Arrieta's right elbow" and have "monitored him while Arrieta has managed his work, falling back on the lessons he learned before pitching through a similar ailment."

Gabe Kapler said Arrieta brought the bone spur problem to his attention in the days leading up to his most recent start Saturday night.

— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) July 7, 2019

Arrieta's numbers started slipping little by little following his Cy Young Award-winning season in 2015, which led to some questions about what kind of pitcher he would be for the Phillies in the first year of his three-year, $75 million deal.

That general trend continued for the veteran right-hander in 2018. He finished 10-11 with a 3.96 ERA and 4.26 FIP in 31 starts, per FanGraphs. His 1.9 WAR were his fewest since 2013, the year before his breakthrough with the Chicago Cubs.

Arrieta's production is still going in the wrong direction this year. Through 17 starts, he's 8-7 with a 4.43 ERA and a 5.14 FIP.

The Phillies sent a big message to the rest of the league when they signed Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million deal in the offseason. Although a World Series title isn't the minimum bar for success, Philadelphia clearly has championship aspirations.

Losing Arrieta for an extended stretch would be a tough blow since the Atlanta Braves have the pieces to once again claim a National League East title.