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Philadelphia Phillies Among Favorites to Land Cy Young Pitcher

The Philadelphia Phillies are among some of the betting favorites to land Justin Verlander in this winter's MLB free agency.

The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to add to their roster this winter through free agency. They are already betting favorites to land one of the big four shortstops available on the market.

One area they could address is their rotation. Yesterday, in his end of season press conference, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski did not rule out the possibility of pursuing a front line starter, if it makes sense. 

One name who could be of interest is Justin Verlander. We at Inside the Phillies have already discussed how Verlander could fit with the team, especially as they continue their push to another World Series appearance. He could have a tremendous impact on the younger pitchers in Philadelphia’s organization. 

That possibility has been backed up by OddsChecker who has put Philadelphia square in the race for the righty who just won his second American League Cy Young award on Wednesday night. 

The betting service has the Phillies at +500 odds, or a 16.7-percent chance to land the services of Verlander. That gives them the fourth best odds after the New York Mets, Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Again, it is a long shot for Philadelphia to actually ink Verlander, but on the surface it makes some sense. They are a team that could use another impact arm in the rotation and they have the money available to offer a contract in the ballpark Verlander is reportedly searching for. 

Whether or not the Phillies decide to prioritize pitching over an elite middle infielder will be a storyline to follow as we move deeper into the winter.

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