The Philadelphia Phillies are viewed as a top-three team in the MLB heading into next season by one esteemed reporter.
Phillies trail powerhouse contenders in recent power rankings
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden ranked all 30 MLB teams as rosters get finalized and Spring Training kicks off. Bowden had the Phillies as the No. 3 team behind the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and defending American League champion New York Yankees.
“The Phillies had a relatively quiet offseason, but two of their moves should have a positive impact. Their biggest and best move was the trade with the Marlins for lefty Jesús Luzardo, who gives them arguably the NL East’s best five-man rotation with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez,” Bowden wrote.
“Plus, one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, Andrew Painter, who had Tommy John surgery in 2023, should be ready to contribute by midseason. I also liked their under-the-radar signing of closer Jordan Romano, who pitched only 13 2/3 innings last season due to injury, but could be a value signing if he stays healthy; the two-time All-Star took a below-market contract of one year at $8.5 million. (I didn’t love their signing of veteran Max Kepler, who is slated to start in left field for the Phillies but has never played there in the majors, but perhaps he’ll have a bounce-back year.)
The Phillies’ elite pitching and hitting units could wage a World Series run
Philadelphia undoubtedly has one of the best pitching staffs in the MLB. Wheeler finished as runner-up for the 2024 National League Cy Young Award while Sanchez has been predicted to be a strong candidate to win the award in 2025. They have past and present All-Stars around those two front liners that can shut down the most elite-hitting ensembles in the Majors.
As for their slugging, the Phillies have power hitting with Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, who combined for 68 home runs last time out. They’ve also got efficient sluggers like Alec Bohm and Trea Turner, who hit north of .280 at the plate in 2024.
The bullpen is perhaps Philadelphia’s only area of vulnerability. Nevertheless, if Romano regains his elite form from 2021-2023, where his ERA never exceeded 2.90, his strikeouts count never dipped below 70 and he averaged over 31 saves per season, he’ll be a great finisher for the ball club to soften the blow of All-Star Jeff Hoffman and closer Carlos Estevez’s departures this offseason.
The Phillies will also have to look over their shoulder for the New York Mets and San Diego Padres in the NL. In the AL, the Boston Red Sox improved while the Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros figure to make noise as well.