Philadelphia Phillies Have All Arms on Deck as Pitchers Start Spring Training

The Philadelphia Phillies intend to get a look at all of their pitchers as they convene in Clearwater, Fla., for spring training.

Feb 12, 2025; Clearwater, FL, USA; Members of the Philadelphia Phillies prepare to workout during spring training at Carpenter Complex. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have put together one of the strongest pitching staffs in baseball heading into spring training.

One of the goals they had in the offseason was to upgrade the starting rotation, finding a new No. 5 to round things out.

They hit a home run, acquiring Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins. He should be a big upgrade as the team struggled to find consistent production from the back end of their rotation in 2024.

He will join Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez. That's the Cy Young Award runner-up, a reliable veteran and two All-Stars from last season.

At some point during the summer, star prospect Andrew Painter will also join the mix. After missing two years because of Tommy John surgery, he is back and particiapting this spring. The Phillies intend to be cautious with him.

In the bullpen, the Phillies did lose two key members from last year’s team. Carlos Estevez signed with the Kansas City Royals and Jeff Hoffman joined the Toronto Blue Jays as free agents.

The only addition the team made to the late-game mix was former Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano, who was non-tendered by the team earlier this offseason.

Emerging star Orion Kerkering will also receive more high-leverage opportunities, which he has earned with his dominant performance in his first full season as a pro.

It is fair to wonder if enough was done with the bullpen, as there is some risk relying heavily on Romano, who is coming off an injury-plagued 2024 campaign.

Maybe Philadelphia will have a relief pitcher emerge in spring training that can earn a role in the Opening Day bullpen.

It is certainly a possibility, and everyone will get a chance to showcase their talent, as the Phillies are 100 percent healthy entering camp.

As shared by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, every pitcher who is taking part in spring training is healthy at the start. The only players absent are Koyo Aoyagi and Guillo Zuniga, who are both experiencing visa issues, but should be reporting to camp before the week is over.

Every pitcher in Phillies camp is healthy, the team said. Japanese right-hander Koyo Aoyagi and Guillo Zuniga are delayed because of visa issues. They should be in Clearwater before the end of the week.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) February 12, 2025

It is incredibly rare to have everyone healthy at any point in camp, since there is almost always a handful of players rehabbing from offseason procedures or nagging injuries.

This will create some excellent competition in camp and give the Philadelphia front office and coaching staff to get a real look at each player, as good healthy leaves no unknowns to figure out.