By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
While whether the Philadelphia Phillies end up with Bryce Harper and/or Manny Machado still remains a mystery, the club is still working to improve the club through other means.
The Phillies have already acquired two southpaw pitchers this offseason — Jose Alvarez (Luis Garcia trade) and James Pazos (J.P. Crawford, Carlos Santana trade) — and are poised to add at least two more. The Phillies are "engaged" with the Texas Rangers regarding trading for LHP Mike Minor, and "continue to target" LHP Andrew Miller, according a Friday evening report by Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.
A lefty to watch for #Phillies: Mike Minor. Hearing they could be pursuing him in potential trade with Rangers. 30-year-old swingman had a 4.18 ERA, 7.6 SO/9 as a starter last season, but was solid in ‘17 as a reliever for KC (2.55 ERA, 10.2 SO/9). Signed thru 2020.
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) December 15, 2018
Philly.com's Scott Lauber was the first to report on Friday the Phillies' interest in Minor, saying he is "hearing" the club "could be pursuing him in a potential trade." NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury also reported on Friday that the Phillies are "strongly on" Miller.
Miller, 33, is a two-time All-Star, 13-year veteran and 2016 American League Series Most Valuable Player with the Cleveland Indians. Through 22 career postseason appearances, Miller has surrendered just four runs on 18 hits and 11 walks spanning 33 innings and 126 batters faced. Of Miller's 37 regular season appearances in 2018, he allowed one or more runs in just nine of the contests. Throughout his MLB career, which began in 2006, Miller has played for the Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and most recently the Indians, since August 2016.
Minor, 30, is a seven-year veteran that, since 2010, has played for the Atlanta Braves (2010-14), Kansas City Royals (2017) and Texas Rangers (2018). Minor missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons due to a shoulder injury. The Chapel Hill, Tennessee, native has mostly appeared as a starter throughout his career, but with the Royals, he recorded 65 relief appearances and 13 games finished. Minor went 12-8 with a 4.18 ERA and 1.121 WHIP spanning 28 starts this past season.
If acquired, Miller would likely assume the closing role to complement Seranthony Dominguez in late-inning, high-leverage situations, while Minor — owed $9.83 million over the next two seasons — likely would assume a spot in the starting rotation.
