Sneakily, the Philadelphia Phillies have a tough decision to make with left-hander Ranger Suarez. Suarez has dealt with a few injuries throughout the year, but when he’s on the mound and healthy, he's been very good for much of his career.
He's thrown in just 65.0 innings this year and has a 2.08 ERA entering Sunday.
Suarez didn't make his first start of the year until May, but has been lights out since his return, striking out 59 hitters in that span, too.
But the left-hander is set to hit the free agency market at the end of the season, and if the Phillies want to keep him around, it'll likely require a decent contract. With him and Framber Valdez clearly being the best left-handers on the market, Suarez will be wanted around the league.
When searching for what the Phillies might do, Just Baseball recently predicted that they'd allow him to walk, adding that with the Phillies calling up a few top prospects and other decisions they have to make, it's unlikely that they want to pay top dollar for another starter.
“That means he’s going to be looking for a multi-year commitment worth upwards of $20M per year. Think Sean Manaea/Nathan Eovaldi money, but for a pitcher several years younger. Will the Phillies be willing to pay top dollar for another starter?
“... With Andrew Painter and Mick Abel also in the fold, I think Philadelphia is almost certain to let Suárez walk.”
There's reason to believe this could work out for the Phillies, but it also hurts to see a proven big league arm move on from the team. Painter and Abel could be very good eventually, but for the most part, they're still unknowns. Abel is throwing the baseball pretty well early on, but he has just a handful of starts, and it's way too early to suggest he's an ace.
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