Struggling Bullpen Holds Philadelphia Phillies Back in Latest Power Rankings

The Philadelphia Phillies are still viewed as one of the better teams in MLB, but a faulty bullpen is holding them back from joining the elite tier.

Apr 6, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jordan Romano (68) hands the ball to manager Rob Thomson (59) after being removed from the game during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The start of the 2025 season has been a mixed bag for the Philadelphia Phillies, who currently own a 13-12 record after dropping their last four contests.

A sweep at the hands of the New York Mets, the NL East rival who ended their season in the 2024 NLDS, has left a bitter taste in fans' mouths after an imperfect but encouraging start to the campaign otherwise.

The team's falling stock is also reflected in the latest power rankings from ESPN, which saw the Phillies slide to No. 8 in MLB, down from No. 5 in the previous edition.

ESPN analyst Bradford Doolittle offered his reasoning for Philadelphia's fall, and it's a familiar culprit for the franchise.

"President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has been able to cobble together contention-worthy bullpens for the most part during his time with the Phillies, but his wizardry in that area has been tested early," Doolittle wrote. "The Phillies have gotten solid enough work from the trio of Jose Alvarado, Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks, but pretty much every other reliever has struggled."

That certainly includes Jordan Romano, one of the signature acquisitions of Dombrowski's offseason.

The Phillies let Jeff Hoffman walk, and he ultimately signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. That's where Romano came from, so the comparison between the two is unavoidable.

It's not favorable for Philadelphia.

In 11 appearances, Hoffman has a 1.46 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 12.1 innings of work.

Romano, on the other hand, has a 13.50 ERA over the course of his 11 appearances.

If Dombrowski could reverse that defacto swap with a do-over, he likely would, and how much better would the Phillies look if that were the case?

Philadelphia is getting strong starting pitching, sitting ninth in MLB in rotation ERA with a 3.62. That's where the strength of this team is, and Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo are getting the job done.

One possible improvement point there is veteran Aaron Nola, who is off to an 0-5 start with a 6.43 ERA. It's one of the worst stretches of his career, and while the rest of the rotation is strong enough to relieve the pressure that's been on him for years, the team still needs better.

On the offensive side, the Phillies are third in MLB in on-base percentage but 21st in slugging. It's an uncharacteristically low-power stretch for a lineup filled with home run threats.

Look out for improvement from Trea Turner and Alec Bohm in particular as players who could help get their team out of this rut if they can turn things around.

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