Philadelphia Phillies Made Strategic Moves in Offseason to Support Aging Core

The Philadelphia Phillies made moves this offseason designed to support its aging core of players for another playoff run.

May 25, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jordan Romano (68) pitches during the eighth inning of the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. | Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images

With Spring Training right around the corner, the Philadelphia Phillies have had a solid offseason of improvements.

Coming into the winter, the Phillies appeared like they might be a team that would make some major changes this offseason. The loss to the New York Mets in the National League Division Series left a bad taste in their mouths, but the organization didn’t panic and blow up a team that was good in the regular season.

While there were plenty of rumors surrounding players like Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos, Philadelphia has largely remained intact, with a few notable additions.

In the bullpen, the Phillies signed Jordan Romano to be their new closer. This was a bold decision with the former All-Star coming off a bad year plagued by injuries in 2024. However, if he is healthy, he can be a shutdown pitcher in the ninth inning.

For the starting rotation, the addition of Jesus Luzardo was a significant upgrade. Even though the need to fill the fifth starter spot, Philadelphia acquired a pitcher who has the potential to be a front-end rotation starter.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the teams that have improved this offseason. He mentioned the Phillies as one of those teams and highlighted them making a few good moves to support a core that isn’t getting younger.

“Both Romano and Kepler were one-year deals. Suárez is in his final year before free agency, as are both JT Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber. And the core of Wheeler, Nola, Bryce Harper, and Trea Turner isn't exactly getting any younger. They set out this offseason to improve their chances of winning in 2025, and they appear to have done just that.”

With the All-Star core of Philadelphia getting older, the time to win is certainly now. This could be a very different-looking team with a couple of notable free agents coming up next winter, but the potential to win is there.

While the Los Angeles Dodgers have received a lot of attention for their offseason, the Phillies have also improved significantly.

When looking at the entire starting rotation, Philadelphia arguably has the best, if not, one of the best units in all of baseball.

However, while the rotation looks great, the bullpen will once again be a question mark. Romano can be a significant boost for the team, but he has to be in All-Star form. The combination of Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez was solid for the Phillies last year, and replacing that production will be hard.

Overall, Philadelphia is certainly a better team than last year. However, they aren’t perfect and a few more minor upgrades to the bullpen and potentially the bench could help a lot. Trying to dethrone the Dodgers will be no easy task, but the Phillies might be the best-suited for the job.