By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia Phillies had their first full squad workout on Monday and the team still hasn't added a starting pitcher from the free agent market to their rotation. While they have a number of guys to fill rotation spots, the thought was always that the Phils would dip into free agency to add to their starting five. Beyond Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff, the rotation is a bit of a question mark with guys like Ben Lively, Nick Pivetta and Mark Leiter Jr. all hoping to land a spot. It seems likely Vince Velasquez will have an opportunity to start again, but still, the team could use a boost from a veteran outside of the organization.
One of the more attractive names on the free agent market at this time is 2015 Cy Young Winner and 2016 World Champion Jake Arrieta. There were reports back in December that Arrieta's agent, Scott Boras, was seeking a $200 million deal for the right-hander, but nobody has bitten. His former team, the Cubs, have since signed Yu Darvish to a six year deal worth $126 million. Arrieta is still reportedly seeking a long term deal, but the Phillies look to be exploring him in a shorter term. The front office is very familiar with Arrieta with their respective Baltimore ties, so it'll be interesting to see if the 31-year-old will take a two or three year deal with more money annually.
Phillies and Jake Arrieta are having dialogue. Phils people (MacPhail, Klentak, Jordan, etc.) love him from their days in Baltimore together. Phils would prefer shorter term tho, so there’s a gap.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 20, 2018
Two seasons removed from his Cy Young campiagn, Arrieta regressed a bit, posting a 14-10 record to go along with a 3.53 ERA, his highest since the 2013 season. While he may not be the guy he was in 2015, it's always worth exploring a deal with a guy that has a championship pedigree. Arrieta has a 5-3 record and a 3.08 ERA in nine career postseason starts.
