It hasn’t been an overly active offseason for the Philadelphia Phillies, but they have made some nice moves to try and retool a bit before the start of the 2025 campaign.
Last year, the Phillies were looking like the team to beat heading into October. After winning the National League East by a comfortable margin, Philadelphia seemed like a lock to at least make the NLCS.
However, in the NLDS against the New York Mets, the Phillies came up short, winning just one game in the series.
The shocking early exit led to some speculation that there might be a big change for Philadelphia this offseason. While some moves were made, they didn’t break up their core and will be largely running it back next season.
However, while they might not have made a big splash, there were some upgrades.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently gave the Phillies a solid grade of a ‘B’ for their efforts so far this offseason. He highlighted the addition of Jesus Luzardo to the rotation as a move that makes their starting pitching ridiculous heading into the campaign.
“The likelihood that Luzardo will only be the Phillies’ No. 5 starter is bonkers. He has No. 1-caliber stuff when he’s right, as he showed in posting a 3.58 ERA with 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings in 2023. A back injury undid his 2024 season, but he’s healthy now.”
Coming into the winter, there were a few main areas that needed to be addressed for Philadelphia. Finding a fifth starter, fixing the bullpen, and a bat in the outfield. So far, all of those things have been addressed to some extent, which is encouraging.
The highlight of the offseason was certainly the trade that brought in Luzardo. The 27-year-old southpaw showed some signs of potential greatness in 2022 and 2023. However, injuries kept him out for most of last year, but there is a ton of potential there.
Adding the left-hander isn’t only just a move for 2025, but he could be an important part of the rotation for years to come.
In the bullpen, the addition of Jordan Romano as the new closer could be exactly what Philadelphia has been looking for if he can remain healthy. Losing Jeff Hoffman and potentially Carlos Estevez is significant, but their new closer has All-Star upside in the role.
For their outfield, the addition of Max Kepler is a nice move as well for some depth. Adding someone who could have had a bit more of an impact in the lineup would have been ideal, but the veteran should be a solid contributor in the lineup.
Overall, the grade of a ‘B’ feels very fair for the Phillies so far this offseason. Needs have been addressed, but they didn’t quite make the impact move that would warrant a higher grade.
