PHILADELPHIA -- A similar refrain was heard in Pete Mackanin's office pregame Saturday, one echoing a request from this same time last year: Mackanin wants an offseason roster upgrade. Late in the 2016 season, he implored the front office to add veteran hitters. This year, he wants the organization to seek that improvement in the starting rotation.
"I think we have to upgrade," Mackanin said.
The Phillies are in a precarious position. They certainly have depth available to fill out a starting rotation. A plethora of young arms -- Ben Lively, Nick Pivetta, Zach Eflin -- could fill out the back of a rotation whose only three guarantees for 2018 look to be Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez.