The Philadelphia Phillies may have missed out on signing one of the top free-agent arms, but they still have options on the market.
The Philadelphia Phillies must make some moves to address the depth in their starting rotation before the 2026 season. The team was reportedly interested in Tatsuya Imai, but he reportedly signed a three-year deal with the Houston Astros instead.
Now, the Phillies must pivot to add another arm or two to their pitching staff. Here are three players Philadelphia should target after missing out on Imai.
Chris Bassitt
The Phillies already have an ace at the top of their rotation with Cristopher Sanchez, and Zack Wheeler once he’s healthy. What they need is a reliable, veteran arm who will be ready to take the ball once every five days, and Chris Bassitt is a perfect candidate to fill that role.
Bassitt may be 36 years old, but he’s made 30-or-more starts each of the last three seasons, and continues to log quality innings. In 2025, the right-hander finished with a 3.96 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP, and continued to have strong command, too.
Bassitt would perfectly fit in the middle of the Phillies’ rotation.
Feb 19, 2025; Clearwater, FL, USA; a general view during Philadelphia Phillies spring training workouts at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesNick Martinez
Nick Martinez is another veteran who would make a lot of sense with the Phillies. Again, what Philadelphia needs is depth, and Martinez brings that, along with a bit of versatility.
The right-hander appeared in 40 games in 2025, with 26 of those appearances being starts. When a member of the Cincinnati Reds rotation a year ago, Martinez had a 4.72 ERA and a 1.248 WHIP. Those certainly aren’t All-Star-caliber numbers, but they are definitely serviceable.
Martinez could start the season in Philadelphia’s rotation, and once Wheeler is healthy or Andrew Painter is ready for his debut, he could slide into a bullpen role, where he had a 2.61 ERA a year ago.
Lucas Giolito
If the Phillies aren’t willing to spend big on one of the top free agent pitchers or dish out the money Ranger Suarez is seeking for a reunion, they will have to take a chance on someone.
After missing all of 2024, Lucas Giolito had a relatively strong bounce-back season in which he posted a 3.41 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 26 starts.
The right-hander’s stuff won’t blow away any hitters, but he’s still a quality and savvy veteran pitcher who could provide some much-needed depth for the Phillies.