Best and Worst-Case Scenarios for the Phillies During the 2025 MLB Season

These are the best and worst-case scenarios for the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2025 MLB season.

Mar 19, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3) looks on against the New York Yankees at BayCare Ballpark | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

This winter wasn't an offseason the Philadelphia Phillies and their fan base have gotten used to during the past few years after they didn't sign a free agent to a long-term contract.

But that shouldn't prevent them from competing for a World Series title this season.

The Phillies have a soft start to the year on paper, facing the Washington Nationals for three games before coming home to play the Colorado Rockies ahead of their massive series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Expectations should remain high in Philadelphia.

This roster is good enough to win a championship, and despite the negative feelings surrounding this group after blowing their NLCS lead in 2023 and being embarrassed by their archrivals in the NLDS last year, anything less than winning the Fall Classic would be a disappointment.

With Opening Day here for the Phillies, it's a good time to lay out the best and worst-case scenarios that could happen for the team this year.

Best Case

Winning the World Series

That is an obvious one.

It's the goal everyone in the organization from top to bottom has, bordering on obsession when it comes to the amount of money John Middleton has spent and how the players talk about accomplishing that objective.

But how do they get there?

The first thing that needs to happen is Bryce Harper has an MVP-caliber season.

This team goes as their superstar goes, and it's no secret that when he's at his best, so is the rest of the lineup.

Harper won his second NL MVP Award in 2021, but since then, he's received no votes, finished 12th in 2022 after starting the year on the injured list and finished sixth last season.

Winning his third would not only put him in rare air, but it would also be massive for this Phillies team.
Even finishing inside the top three would mean he's playing elite baseball, potentially pushing this group to new heights.

However, Philadelphia can't win the World Series on the shoulders of one player.

The best-case scenario also sees Trea Turner live up to the contract he signed ahead of the 2023 season, becoming one of the top hitters in the sport like he's been in the past and putting his defensive struggles behind him.

Young players like Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott take another step forward in their careers, either becoming consistent elite run producers like Bohm has shown, or proving they should be everyday players like Marsh and Stott are setting out to do.

J.T. Realmuto turning back the clock at the plate is vital.

More days off could help with that, and if he gets back to producing at a level where his OPS+ is above the league average, that makes this lineup that much deeper and scary.

Pitching will be a factor, too.

The best case is Zack Wheeler has another dominant year, something that could secure him his first-ever Cy Young Award. Jesus Luzardo has a resurgent performance, Aaron Nola continues to be a workhorse and Cristopher Sanchez proves he is still an ascending player.

Not to mention if Andrew Painter arrives and looks like the top prospect he was billed as before Tommy John surgery, that would be incredible.

All of that should have Philadelphia playing late in October.

Worst Case

Eliminated in First Round of Playoffs

Whether that's in the Wild Card round or if they put together another dominant regular season and earn a bye into the Division Series, losing in the first round would be a disaster.

This team is too talented and deep for them to realistically miss the playoffs, and barring a doomsday scenario where everyone goes on the injured list for long stretches, the Phillies will be playing October baseball.

So, losing in their first playoff series would be the worst thing that could happen.

With an elite rotation that should be healthy, being eliminated early again would fall on the shoulders of the offense and a bullpen collapse, the exact things that have happened the past two years.

The worst-case scenario is Philadelphia reverts back to their old habits at the plate, chasing everything and giving opposing pitching staffs easy outs when all 27 are important. Pair that with another rough showing from the relievers, and that's the recipe for their demise.

If that happens, it's hard to imagine Rob Thomson will be back and major changes won't be ushered in next winter.