The start of the 2026 season is inching closer, with pitchers and catchers reporting to Clearwater on Feb. 11. President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski recently told the media that he is “content where we are,” which has caused some dismay amongst the fan base.
Heading into Spring Training, the starting rotation will be anchored by Cristopher Sánchez, who finished behind only Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes for the NL Cy Young award. Joining the southpaw will be Jesús Luzardo in his second season with Philadelphia, and he will look for more consistency after he rode the peaks and valleys last season. Aaron Nola looks to bounce back after missing significant time due to injury, which caused him to have the worst season of his career.
Top pitching prospect Andrew Painter and veteran Taijuan Walker are expected to fill out the backend of the rotation until ace Zack Wheeler returns from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery.
However, with Wheeler’s expected return date to be determined and the lack of starting pitching depth on the roster and in the upper levels of the farm system, the Phillies should look into a pair of veteran pitchers to help provide some depth.
Chris Bassitt is coming off a solid season with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he went 11-9 with a respectable 3.96 ERA in 31 starts. Posting a 2.1 WAR, the 37-year-old helped the Blue Jays reach the World Series as a reliable arm out of the bullpen. After missing the ALDS due to a back injury, Bassitt went on to post a stellar 1.04 ERA in seven appearances spanning 8⅔ innings in the NLCS and World Series. He allowed just one earned run, three hits, two walks and struck out 10 batters.
Bassitt is an innings eater who doesn’t overpower hitters, logging 170-plus innings in each of the last four seasons while posting a sub-four ERA in seven of the last eight seasons pitching with the Mets, Athletics and Blue Jays.
He induces weak contact despite not overpowering hitters with his eight-pitch mix. He relies on his sinker, curveball and cutter mix and was ranked as a Top 30 free agent by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
If you can’t beat them, have them join you. That’s not the exact saying, but that is certainly what the Phillies could do by signing the veteran lefty to an inexpensive, one-year deal for under $10 million.
The journeyman who embarks on his 15th big league season has been a thorn in the Phillies’ side throughout his career. In 14 starts, he is 2-2 with a 3.59 ERA in 77⅔ innings with 84 strikeouts to just 24 walks.
Overall with the Milwaukee Brewers last season, Jose Quintana, who just celebrated his 37th birthday over the weekend, went 11-7 with a 3.96 ERA in 24 starts. In 131⅔ innings, he had 89 strikeouts with a 1.29 WHIP.
Similar to Bassitt, Quintana’s Baseball Savant page won’t be something that excites many, but he is a proven veteran who is savvy and knowledgeable in attacking hitters and continues to be a solid depth option for a team like the Phillies, who could use an inexpensive arm to take a flier on.
Follow Cory on X at @Cory_Nidoh
