Philadelphia Phillies Adding Future Hall of Fame Starter Would be Publicity Stunt

The Philadelphia Phillies adding the future Hall of Famer in free agency would be nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Sep 14, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies added to their starting rotation this offseason by trading for Jesus Luzardo with the Miami Marlins.

That move gave them a five-man rotation headlined by Zack Wheeler, with Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, and Cristopher Sanchez serving as the two-through-four starters, and Luzardo rounding out the group of five. Easily the best rotation in MLB entering 2025.

The addition has allowed the team to move Taijuan Walker to the pen as a full-time reliever, who will make spot starts here and there, getting his 7.18 starter's ERA out of a rotation that posted a 3.81 ERA in 2024, with Wheeler, Nola, Suarez, and Sanchez all having marks 3.57 or better.

However, the team may not be done, as they were recently reported to be in attendance for a workout that future Hall of Fame pitcher Max Scherzer performed, stirring up rumors of interest in the pitcher.

If the Phillies were to sign Scherzer, who will be entering his age-40 season, it would be nothing short of a publicity stunt to drive ticket and merchandise sales.

Scherzer was a phenomenal Major League pitcher, and there is no denying that, but his best years are now in the distant past.

Since the start of 2020, a span of five years, Scherzer has pitched for four different teams, carrying a 3.02 ERA across 588 innings in 101 starts with 715 strikeouts and a 136 ERA+.

"That's actually pretty good," you're thinking, and you would be right.

Since 2022, Scherzer has pitched to a 3.16 ERA across 341 1/3 innings in 59 starts with 387 strikeouts and a 128 ERA+. The decline is now becoming evident.

Since 2023, the future Hall of Famer has pitched to a 3.81 ERA across only 196 innings in only 36 starts with 214 strikeouts and a 109 ERA+. The bottom has fallen out.

Now Scherzer could come in and serve as the best sixth-starter in the sport, further limiting the amount of damage that Walker can do to Philadelphia, but it may not even be worth that.

Justin Verlander signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the San Francisco Giants; Charlie Morton signed the same deal with the Baltimore Orioles. Both guys are older than Scherzer, but not by much.

Scherzer's deal would be more of the same as the veterans above, perhaps even more lucrative for the pitcher since he is only 40 while the other two are 42 and 41, respectively.

Depth is always nice, but spending just to spend when there are better options available and different holes that need to be filled (the bullpen, but not Carlos Estevez) is not the way to go about things. Especially for a team looking to contend for the World Series.

The Phillies already have the best starting rotation in MLB; adding Max Scherzer to the mix would be nothing more than a publicity stunt.