Lance Lynn Rumors: Phillies Have Interest in Veteran SP, No Deal Close

The Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly spoken with free-agent pitcher Lance Lynn as they continue to scan the market for upgrades on the mound.

According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the two sides "had contact" but "are not close to a deal" with spring training in full swing.

Morosi also confirmed the club has had "ongoing dialogue" with free agent Jake Arrieta.

The Phillies have been interested in Arrieta on a three-year contract, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, but ownership has made it clear it isn't going to commit to a big name for the sake of making a splash.

"We want to improve the team, we're always trying to improve the team, but we've got to do it a way that makes sense now and next year," owner John Middleton said, per Zolecki. "We don't want to sacrifice something significant in the future by making a short-term move. Whether it's a trade or a signing, if we get the deal we think is right, we'll do it. We'll pull the trigger. Money is zero object. No object whatsoever."

It's unclear what the Phillies would be willing to offer Lynn, by comparison. However, it's hard to imagine a front office with that mind-set is keen on offering a substantial, long-term deal to a pitcher two years removed from Tommy John surgery.

That said, Lynn showed last season he still has plenty of quality starts left in the tank.

Despite missing the entire 2016 campaign, Lynn responded in 2017 by going 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA, 1.229 WHIP and 153 strikeouts while posting a respectable 1.22 ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio, per FanGraphs.

Lynn has also landed on the Minnesota Twins' radar, according to FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman, but a person affiliated with the team mentioned "the asking price hasn't moved much, or enough" for the front office to ramp up its pursuit of the 2012 All-Star.