Phillies agree to MLB contract with former Padres, Yankees All-Star pitcher originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Phillies need a bit more pitching help this season, as they've been barely skating by with their current group of starters and relievers.
After failing to add a starting pitcher at the MLB trade deadline, Dave Dombrowski, a few weeks later has found a new pitcher to bolster the staff.
According to Fansided.com's Robert Murray, the Phillies are in agreement with Nestor Cortes on a Major League deal. Cortes, the former San Diego Padres and New York Yankees left-hander, will join the Phillies pitching staff soon.
Phillies to add Nestor Cortes on MLB deal"Free agent pitcher Nestor Cortes and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a Major League contract, according to sources familiar with the deal," Murray reports.
This report isn't a massive surprise, as shortly before this report from Murray, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reported the Phillies and Cortes were in contract talks after the Boston Red Sox missed out on the lefty.
Cortes joins a Phillies team with a very interesting potential role in his future. He could help form a six-man starting rotation, or he could even take the roster spot of Zack Wheeler if the struggling right-hander lands on the injured list.
But maybe the more likely scenario for the left-hander, coming off surgery to his throwing arm last fall, would be a spot in the bullpen.
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Cortes is 31 years old, coming off left-arm surgery, and is a former starting pitcher who has a 3.94 ERA in his big league career. Last season with the Padres, he had a 5.47 ERA in six starts.
While he could be a starter, using him in the bullpen would make a lot more sense. He's not likely to start a game unless there's an injury in the rotation or a scenario where the Phillies want to rest one of their starters down the stretch.
Besides, come the postseason, Cortes could be a nice multi-inning reliever for the Phillies and Don Mattingly out of the bullpen.
This is a very interesting addition, and Cortes could become the starting pitcher that fans wanted the Phillies to add at the MLB trade deadline, and Dombrowski didn't have to give up any prospect to get him either.
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