By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Exactly four weeks remain until the Philadelphia Phillies' 2018 regular season gets underway, as they travel to SunTrust Park to take on their division rival Atlanta Braves.
Still, two weeks into spring training, speculation continues whether the club, led by rookie manager Gabe Kapler, will sign a veteran free agent starting pitcher to bolster the rotation and complement young talents in right-handers Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez, Jerad Eickhoff and alike.
While one-time All-Star, Cy Young Award winner, Silver Slugger Award winner and World Series champion RHP Jake Arrieta is one name that continues burning on the Phillies' hot stove, another former All-Star and World Series champion free agent veteran pitcher reportedly has also garnered recent attention from Phillies' front office: right-hander Lance Lynn.
The Phillies reportedly "have had contact" with Lynn and his agent in recent weeks, but the two sides "are not close to a deal," according to a Thursday morning tweet by MLB.com's Jon Morosi. While the Phillies and Lynn have been connected via rumors throughout the offseason, this is the first credible report that both sides are actually in contact.
Lynn, 30, went 72-47 with a 3.38 ERA and 919-369 strikeout-to-walk ratio spanning 977 2/3 innings and six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2011-2015 and 2017. The right-hander missed the entire 2016 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
On Feb. 8, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Lynn is drawing interest from "seven or eight teams," likely including the Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins and New York Mets. The New York Yankees have also recently "monitored" Lynn this offseason, according to a Feb. 11 Morosi report. The Phillies appear to be the seventh team in the mix.
Lynn rejected the Cardinals' one-year, $17.4 million qualifying offer this November, as he seeks a multi-year contract. Similarly, Arrieta rejected his qualifying offer from the Cubs.
Lynn is represented by Excel Sports Management, which also consults with former All-Stars including Brandon Belt, Dellin Betances, Tyler Clippard, Zack Cozart, Dexter Fowler and Freddie Freeman.
