Phillies stockpile starters, which makes perfect sense in a pitching-friendly era

A funny thing happened Sunday morning when the news broke that the Phillies traded for lefty starter Jesús Luzardo.

“Some clubs called right away,” Dave Dombrowski said Monday.

Do you blame them? The Phillies have five veteran starting pitchers, an embarrassment of rotation riches. OK, so maybe they aren’t the second coming of Halladay-Lee-Hamels-Oswalt-Blanton, but here’s a snap shot of the new Five Aces’ credentials:

» READ MORE: The Phillies acquire pitcher Jesus Luzardo in trade with the Marlins.

Let’s not forget, either, that 21-year-old top prospect Andrew Painter is back from Tommy John elbow surgery and poised to make his major-league debut next season. Heck, even the most wild-eyed optimist might see past Taijuan Walker’s 7.10 ERA last season and think he’s not too far gone from a 17-start stretch with a 3.03 mark in 2023.

It made sense, then, that rival executives would phone Dombrowski and inquire about whether he’s inclined to trade from his enviable stockpile of starters.

Hey, it never hurts to ask.

“You listen to anything,” Dombrowski said, “but I really do like the idea of having the five starters out there.”

Dombrowski says he would be lying if he told you that his oft-used buzzword to describe the Phillies’ offseason strategy — “open-minded” — was code for loading up on starting pitching in one of the most pitching-friendly eras in baseball history. But he admits that he has always liked the idea of a super-rotation.

» READ MORE: Dave Dombrowski’s ambitious goal for the Phillies: Balance winning it all with sustained success for years

In Detroit, for instance, he traded for David Price in 2014 even though the Tigers already had Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Aníbal Sánchez, Doug Fister, and Rick Porcello. In Boston, he pulled off a blockbuster for Chris Sale in the 2016-17 offseason and added him to Price, Porcello, Eduardo Rodríguez, and Drew Pomeranz.

At the trade deadline in July, he talked to the White Sox about hard-throwing lefty Garrett Crochet. The talks picked up again at the general managers’ meetings last month, but the sides never agreed on an equitable package. Unlike the Red Sox, who eventually landed Crochet, the Phillies weren’t willing to give up multiple prospects from Baseball America’s top-100 list.

“Good or bad, I’ve always felt that the best way to win is to throw a quality starting pitcher out there every day if you can,” Dombrowski said. “It gives you the odds to win.”

Never more than right now.

Consider this: In 2024, the league-average hitter batted .243, tied for the lowest mark since 1968. That was the infamous “Year of the Pitcher,” when hitters were at such a disadvantage that MLB lowered the mound to level the playing field. And it isn’t a one-off. It has been trending this way for years.

The Phillies set out to alter the mix of a lineup that has become easier to attack this offseason. Many of their hitters (see: Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto) are alike in their aggressive approaches at the plate. They tend to swing at pitches out of the strike zone, especially low-and-away breaking balls and high fastballs.

» READ MORE: J.T. Realmuto or … who? The Phillies will face a complex decision with their star catcher.

But other than Juan Soto, the free-agent market wasn’t flush with hitters who would change the Phillies’ look. And with a payroll that is projected at $306 million — $5 million over the highest luxury-tax threshold and the 110% tariff that comes with surpassing that mark — the Phillies weren’t going to compete for Soto, who grabbed $765 million from not-to-be-outbid Mets owner Steve Cohen.

Why not double down, then, on starting pitching?

Like Crochet, Luzardo has wipeout stuff and two years of club control before he can be a free agent. He comes with durability questions. Last season, he was shut down in June, first by elbow soreness and later a stress reaction in his back, issues that Dombrowski said “don’t go away” but that the Phillies doctors believe can be managed effectively. But he did pitch 178⅔ innings in 2023, more than Crochet’s total this year (146) in his season as a starter.

The Phillies asked the Marlins about Luzardo early in the offseason. But when Miami’s president of baseball operations, Peter Bendix, called Phillies general manager Sam Fuld last week to initiate another conversation, there was momentum for a deal to come together, especially given the return relative to Crochet: one top-100 prospect (19-year-old shortstop Starlyn Caba) and single-A outfielder Emaarion Boyd.

“We did our very thorough [review of] medicals and felt very comfortable where he is at this point,” Dombrowski said of Luzardo. “He’s been working out already. He’s been throwing some. We think he’s a quality starter in the rotation and gives you a chance to have a quality start every time out.”

That’s the idea. It’s also a contrast from how many clubs, notably the rival Mets, are building their rosters.

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Luzardo will cost only about $6 million next season in salary arbitration. Suárez figures to make about $9 million. Sánchez signed a team-friendly four-year, $22.5 million extension midway through last season. But the Phillies have invested $370 million in long-term agreements with Nola, Wheeler, and Walker.

The Mets, meanwhile, haven’t doled out long deals for starting pitchers under president of baseball operations David Stearns. Instead, they try to be opportunistic. They reportedly re-signed Sean Manaea to a three-year, $75 million contract Monday to rejoin a rotation that includes Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Frankie Montas, converted reliever Clay Holmes, Griffin Canning, and Paul Blackburn.

Advantage, Phillies.

“When we talked about Luzardo’s scenario and he was available, it’s just, we talked about trying to get our team better any way that we possibly could,” Dombrowski said. “We just think he was a big upgrade for us. You would never call him just a fifth starter. He’s better than that.”

Executives across baseball know it. And at a time when pitching rules the sport, the Phillies have a rotation that’s the envy of the league.