The Philadelphia Phillies may be in the hunt for a new starting pitcher after Aaron Nola’s recent injury designation.
Ahead of Friday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Nola was officially placed on the 15-day injured list with a right ankle sprain. Mick Abel is being called up to take his place temporarily in the rotation and will start Sunday.
However, the Phillies can look outside of the organization for a potential trade target especially with Nola struggling this season. Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Chris Bassitt is certainly an option for the Phillies.
Through nine starts this season, Bassitt has recorded a 3.16 ERA with 55 strikeouts for the Blue Jays. His pitching has certainly helped keep Toronto alive in a competitive American League East division.
While his ERA would be fourth-best in the Phillies rotation, that is more of a compliment to how well Zack Wheeler, Christopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo and Taijuan Walker have pitched this season. Having all five starting pitchers with an ERA under 3.50 would set up the Phillies to have one of the best rotations in baseball heading into the postseason.
Bassitt is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, making him a prime candidate to be dealt if the Blue Jays fall off. Pair that with the team unlikely to retain him due to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. being paid $500 million over the next 14 years, and there’s a good chance the 36-year-old pitcher finishes the season wearing a different uniform.
If that happens, the Phillies should be pursuing Bassitt to bolster the pitching staff ahead of a potential playoff run.
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