By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Even though pitchers and catchers are set to report to spring training in less than 24 hours, the Philadelphia Phillies remain committed to continually improve their roster in all facets of the game.
While the club addressed its bullpen this offseason in reuniting with former All-Star RHP Pat Neshek, the need for left-handed pitching remains a priority, with just four reliever southpaws currently on their 40-man roster: Zac Curtis, Hoby Milner, Adam Morgan and Ranger Suarez.
According to FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman, the Phillies may have their eyes set on coming to terms with another left-handed bullpen arm, seven-year veteran Tony Watson.
Watson, 32, appeared in 71 games last season combined between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Watson won two games for the Dodgers in the World Series against the Houston Astros, where in five appearances and 3 2/3 innings he allowed just one unearned run on two hits, one walk and one strikeout (14 total batters faced).
Other identified teams drawing interest in Watson, per Heyman, are the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox.
Even if the Phillies do sign Watson, the club appears ready to head into another season with no left-handed starting pitching. Last season, they played all 162 games without a southpaw starter for the first time in franchise history since 1918, notes Paul Hagan.
Morgan could fill-in as an emergency long reliever, however his days with a solidified role in the starting rotation likely are gone, considering his career 7-18 record and 5.43 ERA (194 innings) under the role through 36 starts. In nearly as many career relief appearances, 39, the lefty is 3-3 with a much more feasible 4.01 ERA (58 1/3 innings).
Watson, native to Sioux City, Iowa, was named to the National League All-Star team in 2014, where he posted a 10-2 record, 1.63 ERA and 81-15 strike out-to-walk ratio through 77 1/3 innings with the Pirates.
