Phillies Linked to Move for Former First-Round Pitcher

The Philadelphia Phillies' starting rotation is the least of their concerns heading into the MLB offseason.

In fact, the Phillies boast one of the best five-man groups in baseball in the form of Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Zack Wheeler, Andrew Painter and Aaron Nola.

Yes, Painter is still unproven, and Nola was a disaster in 2025 and the first half of 2026, but the former displayed tremendous growth after the All-Star break this past season, and Nola was terrific down the stretch.

However, Cole Weintraub of NBC Sports Philadelphia still feels the Phillies should add some starting pitching depth this winter, which is entirely understandable.

Weintraub rattled off some names that could potentially be of interest to Philadelphia in the coming weeks, and one name in particular stood out: Erick Fedde.

Fedde spent 2026 with the Chicago White Sox, making 33 appearances and 15 starts. During that time, he posted a respectable 3.83 ERA, allowing 139 hits while registering 99 strikeouts over 141 innings of work.

The 33-year-old has bounced around quite a bit over the last three seasons, including two separate stints with the White Sox. Actually, during his first year in Chicago in 2024 (where he was then traded to the St. Louis Cardinals), Fedde logged an impressive 3.30 ERA over 31 starts.

He hasn't been quite as good since, but there is no question the former first-round pick would be an intriguing depth option for the Phillies.

Because right now, Philadelphia doesn't really have dependable starters beyond its top five, and team president Dave Dombrowski even said the team would get more arms to bolster its depth this offseason.

Enter Fedde, who could also serve as a long reliever out of the bullpen if needed, and that's also something the Phillies need.

Fedde was originally selected by the Washington Nationals with the 18th overall pick of the 2014 MLB Draft, but he never lived up to expectations.

The right-hander made his big-league debut in 2017 and spent six seasons with the Nationals, posting a 5.41 ERA across 102 outings and 88 starts.

Fedde then spent a year pitching in Korea before returning to the majors in 2024.

After a strong return his first season back, Fedde then logged a 5.49 ERA between the Cardinals, Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers in 2025.

If the Phillies do decide to add Fedde, hopefully, he's closer to the pitcher we saw in 2024 rather than the one we've seen since.