Phillies' Klentak: Pitching upgrade is first step in rebuilding

Matt Klentak flew to Florida last month, shortly after the Phillies introduced him as their new general manager. His first order of business was the franchise's organizational meetings at the team complex in Clearwater.

Klentak and the team's front office and scouting staff discussed every player in the Phillies system, even the teenagers who played in the Dominican Republican and Venezuelan summer leagues. The general manager was asked Thursday if all that research made his eyes bloodshot.

"Mostly from a lack of sleep, not from the volume of players," Klentak said. "It was a lot of work, a lot of long days, a lot of note taking. But I couldn't really imagine a better foundation as we enter into the offseason. We all have to know about our players. It's really an important thing as we embark on trade discussions and free-agent discussions. We have to know what we have first, before we know what we need."

The free-agent market opens on Friday evening. The Phillies do not expect to be major players. They will likely add a veteran pitcher to complement their young starting staff. The team also could add a position player, much like how they found Jeff Francoeur last offseason. Their No. 1 commodity will be pitching. Klentak said they will be focused on adding pitching "at every turn." The team wants to raise the floor and add depth, he said.

"I say raise the floor - but kind of establish sort of a firm foundation of pitching," Klentak said. "That's not going to end when we break camp at the end of spring training. That's something we're going to be committed to for a long time."

Earlier this week, Klentak took his first turn at building the team's pitching depth by plucking righthanded reliever Dan Otero off waivers from Oakland. It was a no-risk move with a potential for a high reward.

Klentak said he probably has seen Otero pitch more than anyone else in the organization because of Klentak's front-office tenure with the Los Angeles Angels. Otero had difficult year. The 30-year-old totaled a 6.75 ERA last season in 41 appearances. His ERA was more than three times higher than his previous two seasons.

"A bounce-back candidate and a guy that throws strikes and keeps the ball on the ground. We felt that that was a worthwhile claim for us," Klentak said. "We'll bring him into camp, let him compete, and hope that we get the 2013, 2014 version."

Some key pieces of Klentak's pitching foundation are already set. Righthanders Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff will open next season in the starting rotation. Righthander Jake Thompson, who was acquired from Texas as part of the Cole Hamels trade, made a case last season that he is ready for the major leagues. The 21-year-old had a 1.80 ERA in seven starts with double-A Reading. Klentak said he would not oppose having a player skip triple A en route to the big leagues.

"The players will dictate their own time lines," Klentak said. "When they are ready, we will allow them to reach the big leagues and achieve whatever their ceilings may be. But I do believe that we want players to be ready to stick here."

mbreen@phillynews.com

@matt_breen