A little less than two weeks from now, mitts will be popping in Clearwater, Fla. Phillies pitchers and catchers will hold their first workout on Feb. 12, beginning what will be a long journey until the final out of the season, whenever that may come.
There are different ways to view how the Phillies are built heading into 2025. It hasn’t been a quiet offseason, but it hasn’t been as loud as some hoped. The front office signed three free agents, right-handed relievers Jordan Romano and Joe Ross, and veteran outfielder Max Kepler, who is slated to play left field every day. All three signed on for one year.
Perhaps the biggest addition came in the form of a trade. Left-handed starter Jesús Luzardo was acquired from the Marlins in late December. Luzardo, coming off an injury-plagued 2024, has All-Star potential. His addition gives the Phillies, who already had one, one of the best rotations in baseball.
The Phillies were never involved in the Juan Soto sweepstakes. It doesn’t seem as though they had an appetite to pursue relievers at the top of the bullpen market. A trade involving one of the team’s core members didn’t go down. Altogether, this offseason didn’t pan out how many predicted it would at the start.
Nonetheless, winning winter headlines doesn’t really do anything except keep an organization in the news cycle. Offseason relevancy means squat come Opening Day. Real results — wins and losses — are all that matter.
The results have been there for the Phillies over the last three years. Last season, they won 95 games and the NL East for the first time in 13 years. The year didn’t end how the club wanted. But that doesn’t mean a major overhaul was necessary.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was open to at least peaking through plenty of doorways this winter. The front office was open-minded, but that didn’t mean they were dead set on making a major move. It just meant they would entertain ideas they hadn’t in the past. Nothing materialized. Nobody from the big-league club was traded.
The rotation is deeper. The bullpen is more of a question mark but it’s still plentiful. The lineup remains good, although some adjustments are needed.
The Phillies have a top-tier roster. On paper, they may be the second-best team in the NL, trailing only the Dodgers. There’s an argument they’re the second-best team in the majors. Without an argument, the Phillies are a top-five team in baseball.
Remember, this is a club filled with talent: Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Kyle Schwarber, Aaron Nola, Trea Turner, Ranger Suárez, J.T. Realmuto, Cristopher Sánchez, Nick Castellanos, Orion Kerkering, Alec Bohm, Matt Strahm, Bryson Stott, José Alvardo, Brandon Marsh. That’s a group a large portion of other organizations would love to have. Adding Romano, Ross, Kepler and Luzardo to that group makes it even better.
Yes, this core hasn’t gotten the job done, finishing one round earlier in the postseason each of the last three years. But just because a team hasn’t done something doesn’t mean they can’t. It only means they haven’t done it yet.
Winning the World Series is very possible for the 2025 Phillies. No, they weren’t as active on the free-agent market this winter as in the past. This will be the first offseason since 2016-2017 that the club hasn’t signed a free agent to a multi-year contract. No, a shake-things-up trade didn’t transpire. But none of that was necessary. The core in place is very good.
Timing is all that should matter for the 2025 Phillies. If they win enough to get into the October dance, they’ll have to be playing their best baseball at that time. And that’s all you can ask for.
Front office executives don’t have crystal balls. Their job isn’t to put together a roster that will win the World Series. Instead, they’re tasked with constructing a roster that can win the World Series.
There’s not much of an argument to be had. The Phillies can win the World Series this year. And not just because they’re one of 30 major-league clubs, but because they employ one of the best rosters in baseball. Their chances are as good as anyone else. It’ll all come down to timing. And we all know what timing can be.
So, sit back, relax and enjoy whatever will be the 2025 season. The Phillies are almost back, even if it is just pitchers and catchers.
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