Phillies Starting Pitching Conundrum

The Philadelphia Phillies face a starting pitching conundrum. Ranger Suárez entered the season in a position where it was unlikely he would get a contract extension to keep him with the team. However, Suárez has had an excellent season so far after missing the first month or so. Suárez had a bad first start but has been on a roll since then. This has created a situation where the Phillies will have to make a tough decision. The team has a surplus of starting pitching, and Suárez is the lone player in that group who is a free agent after the 2025 season. There might not be room for the Phillies to keep Suárez on their 26-man roster beyond the 2025 season. 

This season, Suárez has a 7-2 record with a 2.00 ERA in 11 starts. Suárez has a 2.88 FIP along with a 3.94 K/BB rate. Additionally, Suárez has a 1.00 WHIP with a 0.63 HR/9 allowed rate. In June, Suárez recorded a 1.30 ERA along with a 0.86 WHIP across six outings. Suárez also recorded a 5.14 K/BB rate and a 3.18 FIP in June. Since that first start of the season, Suárez has a 1.19 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP in 10 games. Suárez has a 4.10 K/BB rate and a 2.95 FIP during that stretch. It is worth noting that Suárez started the season on the injured list and did not make his first start of the season until May 4. That injury list stint might keep Suárez from being named to the NL All-Star team, though. 

The Phillies Face A Starting Pitching Conundrum

Contract Decision And Other Factors

Suárez, as noted earlier, is a free agent after this season. Meanwhile, Jesús Luzardo is a free agent after the 2026 season, and Zack Wheeler is a free agent after the 2027 season. Wheeler is expected to retire at that point. Luzardo will probably not be traded at the deadline or this offseason. The Phillies gave up highly ranked infield prospect Starlyn Caba in the trade for Luzardo. Trading Caba to acquire Luzardo for a single season would not be a great move by Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Mick Abel has also emerged while Aaron Nola has been on the injured list since mid-May. Abel has a 2-1 record with a 3.47 ERA in five major league starts this season. 

Surplus At The Position

The Phillies trading for Luzardo this past offseason complicated things for Suárez. Andrew Painter will arrive in the big leagues sometime this summer. Painter will be in the rotation once he gets called up. Additionally, once Painter is called up, he is likely to stay there for good. There will likely be no turning back once Painter is promoted. Suárez is having an excellent season and has been a dominant postseason pitcher for the Phillies. It would be great if there were a way to keep all of these pitchers. However, in the grand scheme of things, it is not a realistic expectation. Suárez, having an All-Star-caliber season heading into free agency, will also presumably drive up his asking price, which the team would need to meet.