I get it. You’re down on the Phillies.
I perceive. Really, I do. After coming inside two victories of a shock World Collection title in 2022, all of us thought the Phils would have completed the job and introduced John Middleton’s trophy again to Philadelphia by now.
In 2023, the Phils had the NLCS of their pockets, however misplaced Video games 6 and seven of the sequence at dwelling to an underdog Diamondbacks staff that had no enterprise being within the Fall Traditional. Final 12 months, after profitable 95 video games and having the perfect common season we’ve seen round right here since 2011, they stumbled down the stretch and fell in 4 fast video games to the Mets within the NLDS.
In every season, the streakiness of the offense was the principle perpetrator, though an surprising bullpen meltdown towards New York final October performed a big position, too.
You wished the Phillies to get aggressive, to shore up these issues and create a staff invulnerable to defeat.
This offseason, Dave Dombrowski’s solely transfer to change the character of the lineup was to signal free agent Max Kepler to a one-year contract to play left area every single day, although Kepler was damage for many of final 12 months and had the worst season of his profession. The Phils have already misplaced one reduction pitcher, Jeff Hoffman, in free company and can probably lose Carlos Estevez as effectively. They added Jordan Romano, who was an important nearer for Toronto in 2022 and ‘23, however was damage for many of final season as effectively.
In brief, the offense seems to be no higher than the earlier three seasons and the bullpen doesn’t look like as robust because it was on the finish of final 12 months. It feels just like the Phils are worse off now than they had been when final October started.
So it’s fascinating that two nationwide retailers, MLB.com and ESPN, are so excessive on the Phillies of their first official MLB energy rankings of 2025. Each consider the Phillies are the second-best staff in baseball.
MLB.com: The additions of Max Kepler, Jesús Luzardo, Jordan Romano and Joe Ross are principally garnish round the principle course of all these veterans on the Phillies’ core, those dialed as much as win that World Collection that has confirmed so elusive. The query right here: Is there another transfer left? Or extra? The Phillies may as effectively go all-in to win at this level.
ESPN: Philadelphia has been on the lookout for outfield assist, which led to the signing of Max Kepler, and added Jordan Romano to the bullpen after it faltered within the second half. In the meantime, Jesus Luzardo deepens a stellar rotation. The Phillies may not be accomplished tinkering fairly but.
Each write-ups level out that the energy of the Phillies, their beginning rotation, makes them a really harmful staff, coupled with an offense that, warts and all, was nonetheless an elite run-scoring group in 2024. The addition of Marlins starter Luzardo to the rotation was a grasp stroke by Dombrowski.
Residing in Philadelphia and following the staff intently, it may be straightforward to have blinders on to the realities of your native sports activities franchise. We see a Phils staff that has gone backwards every of the final two postseasons and, at the very least on paper, didn’t do sufficient to enhance themselves.
However in comparison with the remainder of the league, the Phillies have fewer holes than all however one staff, the behemoth Dodgers who, by the way in which, have been essentially the most gifted staff in baseball over the past decade and solely final 12 months gained their first actual championship since 1988 (they gained the pandemic-shortened season of 2020 as effectively).
It’s comprehensible to be a bit disgruntled proper now. Heading into the winter, we thought the Phils could be available in the market to signal Juan Soto. They weren’t. We thought they might pivot to a high-profile free agent to assist clear up the outfield drawback. They probably aren’t. We thought they might re-sign at the very least one among their two departing relievers or, on the very least, add a high-impact closer-type. Except you consider in a Romano renaissance, they haven’t. We thought there was a chance they might commerce somebody like Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos or one other core member of the staff to change the lineup in a bid to shake issues up. They aren’t.
We concentrate on the issues they haven’t accomplished, aren’t doing, and possibly gained’t do, and lose sight of the very fact this staff remains to be one of many easiest in baseball. The truth is, maybe the second-best.
So let’s not bury the Phillies earlier than they get to Clearwater. That is nonetheless a extremely good baseball staff that ought to win plenty of video games in 2025. Baseball seasons often aren’t linear. Generally a staff that’s perceived to be weaker is the one that truly catches hearth on the proper time and wins all of it. Keep in mind, the 2008 championship staff was weaker than the 2009, ‘10 and ‘11 squads that fell one step additional every season.
Whether or not that can translate into postseason victories in 2025 is an unanswerable query.The celebrities already available need to get the job accomplished, and possibly this time they may. Within the meantime, get pleasure from having the second-best baseball staff on the planet play in Philadelphia, warts and all.
On the newest Hittin’ Season podcast, we laid out our personal top-10 energy rankings, mentioned the Hoffman transfer to Toronto, and another enjoyable Phils nuggets, so please test it out, obtain, and subscribe!