Philadelphia Phillies Have Work Cut Out for Them Based on New NL East Predictions

The Philadelphia Phillies have a lot of obstacles to get over in the NL East this season.

Sep 1, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3) breaks top double play attempt by Atlanta Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia (11) during the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have improved their win total in 162-game seasons for six straight campaigns.

That culminated in 95 regular season wins in 2024, allowing them to take home the National League East title for the first time since 2011.

With virtually the same exact core returning in 2025, expectations are high once again. There isn’t anything internally keeping this team from pushing toward 100 victories since they addressed their need for a fifth starter, acquiring Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins.

There are some question marks still, such as Max Kepler taking over as the starting left fielder despite never playing the position in his professional career.

And in the bullpen, are Jordan Romano and Joe Ross enough to help replace the production lost with Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez departing in free agency?

This is a team built to contend again, but a bold prediction shared by Will Leitch of MLB.com will certainly disappoint the fan base.

The baseball writer has predicted that not only will the Atlanta Braves win the NL East, they will be the top postseason seed, even outperforming the Los Angeles Dodgers during the summer.

In 2024, the Phillies took full advantage of the Braves dealing with serious injuries up and down the roster. Their two superstars, outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and starting pitcher Spencer Strider, were both sidelined.

Neither player is expected to be 100% ready by Opening Day, but other injured players will be back in the lineup. Once those two return and Atlanta is at full strength, people will be reminded just how talented of a roster they have.

Philadelphia will have something to say about the Braves being so highly regarded, with their roster loaded with talent as well.

Continuity is something the Phillies have over some of their rivals, as Kepler is the only player projected to start who wasn’t with the team last year.

They didn’t win 95 games by accident in 2024, so expecting much of a drop off would seem to be a losing wager to make.

With the pitching staff that Philadelphia has compiled, they are going to be difficult to beat on a regular basis. 

As long as they can stay healthy, they are going to be right there with Atlanta and the New York Mets, who created plenty of headlines this offseason with their own upgrades, in the NL East race.