If the Phillies limit their spending, it’s hard to imagine them being able to do enough to enter next year with a team expected to pass Washington or Atlanta.

Wheeler, 29, is not Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg, the two premier pitchers on the market, but he could develop into an elite arm.

The Phillies no longer had a choice. Save for ace Aaron Nola, their young starters haven’t matured into rotation mainstays.

Wheeler’s signing should be the lesser of the two major moves the Phillies make in an effort to improve the starting pitching department.

Hamels had a 3.81 ERA last season with the Cubs, who acquired him before the 2018 trade deadline after the Phillies passed.

The 29-year-old right-hander could choose a team before the winter meetings begin next week, and the Phillies are among his most aggressive suitors.

The Phillies, according to a source, are readying to make a push this offseason to sign Gregorius and reunite him with Girardi.

Letting Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco go leaves the Phillies with a lot of work to be done, but there are some enticing solutions to the roster puzzle.

The Phillies could replace Franco or Hernandez with Scott Kingery or the Phillies could be drawn to Didi Gregorius, who played for the Yankees under Joe Girardi.

Kelley, 26, was a 36th-round pick in 2015, and he has minor-league options remaining.

The Phillies could not compete with the N.L. East champion Atlanta Braves or the world champion Washington Nationals in 2019, but both teams have difficult decisions to make this offseason as they attempt to remain on top.

Monday could mark the end of an era for the Phillies' longest-tenured position players.

Also, Phillies must decide by 8 p.m. Monday whether to tender 2020 contracts to long-tenured infielders Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco.