Categories: Offseason

Texas two-step: Nick Williams courting Jake Arrieta

Could Jake Arrieta become a Phillie? The possibility is certainly there.

Nick Williams, young outfielder and apparently the best team ambassador since the Phanatic, has been working out in Austin, Texas, this offseason with the right-handed free agent, and according to an Athletic report by Megan Montemurro

, “He would love to play here.” Here as in Philadelphia, by the way.

Look, if Williams wants to talk turkey with Arrieta over breakfast tacos, I’m all for it. Arrieta put up a 3.53 ERA with an 8.7 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 last season – not his best numbers, but clearly still good enough to be a No. 2 type. The question is how much the Phils would need to pay for someone like Arrieta. They can give him what he wants, but do they think he’s worth all of it?

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.