Phillies 2025 Outlook: Are They Built for a Championship Run?
The Philadelphia Phillies are one of the more interesting teams in the MLB heading into the 2025 season. The team earned the second seed in the 2024 playoffs; however, they were sent home in the NLDS by the New York Mets in a quick playoff exit. The Phillies head into the 2025 season with a familiar group of players that have grown accustomed to being hot or cold in the postseason. The core pieces for the Phillies have not gotten any younger, with most of their key players being over the age of 30. A group that has now been together for three full seasons has seen some playoff success during the 2022 postseason but has not returned to the Fall Classic since. With division rivals like the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets making splash moves in the offseason, such as Juan Soto to the Mets, the NL East showcases it could be a potential slugfest to earn the crown.
For the Phillies, they live and die by being hot or cold offensively during the season. To start 2024, the Phillies jumped out to a 62-34 record, best in the MLB heading into the all-star break. The 2024 record broke a franchise record for pre-all-star wins. Additionally, having arguably one of the best offenses in the league by scoring 477 runs in the first half of the season. After the all-star break, things went the complete opposite direction as the team had a .500 record, 33-33, to end the season. The team had gone cold, having only a plus-three run differential. The same lack of offense carried into the postseason, only winning one game and allowing four or more runs in each game. Heading into the offseason, there were a lot of questions surrounding the team about what was going to be done to get to that next step.
The offseason did not bring the big splashes that fans expected. However, the front office led by Dave Dombrowski made multiple additions to try and help the team. The first was Max Kepler, formerly with the Minnesota Twins. The right fielder earned himself a one-year, $10 million contract after batting .253 while tallying eight home runs and 42 RBIs. Another addition by the front office is a trade for Jesús Luzardo with inner division rival, the Miami Marlins. Luzardo had one of the worst ERAs of his career this past season, posting a five, though he only pitched 66.2 innings, the third-lowest total of his career. The final key addition to the roster is yet another pitcher; however, coming out of the bullpen is Jordan Romano. Romano, a two-time career all-star, had a down year pitching with a 6.59 ERA, compared to the four seasons prior when he had an ERA under three. Each player will come in looking to provide instant impact for a team with a win-now mentality.
The group of players for the Phillies are experienced and have shown they can bring everything together for extended periods, but they have not shown it to be sustainable. The story over the past seasons has been trying to get hot at the right time, something that has not happened yet with this core. As time runs out on this group of players, the Phillies enter with the fourth highest payroll in the MLB, a lot of money for a team that has only made the World Series once with this core. With other teams in the division continuing to build and become threats, the door for the Phillies is closing rapidly. The Phillies have the potential to be one of the best teams in the MLB this season, but only time will tell, as the team attempts to bring the World Series trophy back to the City of Brotherly Love.
