Patrick Sandoval: The Phillies’ Next Ace? Philadelphia Shows Strong Interest in the Left-Hander
Things have not gone as expected for the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason.
Seen as a team who would be among the most aggressive in the trade and free agency markets, their lone move has been to bring in reliever Jordan Romano whose 2024 campaign was marred by injury.
Bullpen is certainly a need the Phillies have, but compared to what other contending teams around the league have done to date, they are lacking when it comes to making a splash that would fill their clear holes that became present during the second half of the year and in the playoffs.
One move that would have garnered headlines is trading for Garrett Crochet.
The rising star left-handed pitcher was someone Philadelphia was looking to acquire at the deadline before talks fell apart.
Now, he is off the market after the Boston Red Sox pulled off a blockbuster deal to bring him in.
With starting pitching being something the Phillies seem keen on adding since their fifth rotation spot has tons of questions based on the declining play of Taijaun Walker and a lack of internal options to replace him, they apparently have their sights set on another available option.
“Left-handed starter Patrick Sandoval, 28, who underwent Tommy John surgery midway through last season, is drawing interest from the Philadelphia Phillies, among other teams, with the idea he will rehab through 2025 and be good to go in ’26. He is an intriguing buy-low option as a middle of the rotation lefty with a nasty changeup,” Sports Illustrated‘s MLB insider Tom Verducci reported.
That might be a good long-term play, but it does nothing for Philadelphia during this upcoming season if that’s the actual timeline for his recovery.
Patrick Sandoval had a good two-year stretch from 2021-22.
Across 44 outings and 41 starts, the left-hander posted a 3.17 ERA in 235 2/3 innings pitched with 245 strikeouts and 96 walks.
The past two seasons, though, his ERA ballooned to over a 4.00, making his profile hard to project going forward coming off Tommy John surgery.
Again, this could be a savvy move for the Phillies if they are able to sign Sandoval to an affordable deal that allows them to stockpile the starter and deploy him as part of their rotation at a later date, but it wouldn’t help them win a World Series in 2025.
Philadelphia needs to make a major splash that improves this roster going into next season.
