With pitchers and catchers reporting to Clearwater in just under a month, it’s time to recap what the Phillies have done this offseason.
So far, the focus has been on filling holes with one-year deals with mostly bounce-back candidates who underperformed and or missed significant time due to injury last season. It’s a significant departure from their typical strategy of spending big. The Phillies have signed at least one player to a multi-year deal in each offseason dating back to 2018.
As a result, the Phillies will head into this season with a payroll above $300 million for the first time in franchise history.
Their first big move was signing former Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano to a one-year, $8.5 million deal. They also added former Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers swingman Joe Ross to a one-year, $4 million deal.
After finishing each of the last four seasons with an ERA under three, Romano battled an elbow injury and missed nearly all of the second half of 2024. When he was on the mound, Romano was not good. He posted a 6.59 ERA in just 15 games.
Ross, who began the year as a starter with the Brewers, missed a month with a back injury, came back, made one start and was shifted to the bullpen. He posted a 1.67 ERA in his last 15 games as a reliever.
The addition to the outfield ended up being Max Kepler. A former longtime Minnesota Twin, the left-handed hitting Kepler is a strong defender who will play left field on an everyday basis. A knee and hip injury limited his effectiveness in 2024, but Kepler has struggled to stay healthy in recent years. He hasn’t eclipsed more than 500 plate appearances in a season since his career year in 2019, when he hit 36 home runs and finished with an .855 OPS.
The big move of the offseason so far has been a trade for former Miami Marlins left-handed starter Jesus Luzardo. Luzardo was considered one of the best starters in baseball in 2023, but missed significant time in 2024 with a lumbar stress fracture. The Phillies traded one of their top prospects in shortstop Starlyn Caba to acquire him. The hope is that he is fully healthy and gets back to pitching like a top arm.
It should also be noted that the Phillies extended Zack Wheeler back in spring training. He would have been a free agent after the 2024 season if the Phillies did not sign him to a three-year, $126 million that begins in 2025. If the Phillies had let Wheeler hit the open market and re-signed him, retaining Wheeler would have counted as part of this offseason’s moves.
Reliever Matt Strahm, who was also scheduled to be a free agent this offseason, also signed an extension last spring. He is now signed through 2025 at $7.5 million with a $4.5 million 2026 club option that could become a $7.5 million guarantee in 2026 if he reaches 60 innings in 2025 and passes a physical at the end of the season.
With roughly a month left of the offseason so far, what are your thoughts on what the Phillies have accomplished so far? Have they done enough to improve the team after winning 95 games and a division title, but falling well short of their goal to win the World Series?
Grade the Phillies offseason so far down below.
Loading ...Last week, nearly 1,000 Phillies Nation readers voted on who should be in the leadoff spot. Here are the results.
- Trea Turner — 430
- Bryson Stott — 206
- Kyle Schwarber — 188
- Bryce Harper — 54
- Max Kepler — 17
- Alec Bohm — 15
- Brandon Marsh — 11
- Nick Castellanos — 10
- J.T. Realmuto — 4
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