Philadelphia Phillies' NL East Rivals Praised for Offseason Upgrades

The Philadelphia Phillies are the only team in the NL East that made strides to get better for next season.

Oct 9, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Carlos Estevez (53) reacts after giving up a grand slam to New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) in the sixth inning in game four of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Opinions on the offseason for the Philadelphia Phillies have been wide-ranging, with most people wondering if they did enough to hold onto their spot atop the National League East.

Almost all of the roster from a 95-win team that took home the division title in 2024 will be back. Johan Rojas is the only starter from last year who isn’t projected to be in the same role in 2025, while Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman both moved on in free agency from the bullpen.

Helping replace those three will be outfielder Max Kepler and relief pitchers Jordan Romano and Joe Ross, all of whom signed one-year deals in free agency. 

Jesus Luzardo was their biggest addition, acquired in a trade from the Miami Marlins to solidify the starting rotation behind Zach Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez.

The Phillies are certainly good enough to still contend in the NL, but they are going to face a lot of obstacles in their own division.

In the 2024 postseason, Philadelphia was eliminated by one of its rivals, the New York Mets, in four games.

Overcoming the Mets will be a challenge, as they had an incredibly strong offseason, being named one of the winners by Kiley McDaniels of ESPN.

The headline-grabbing move was signing star right fielder Juan Soto away from the New York Yankees. He is now the centerpiece of the lineup after agreeing to the largest contract in sports history.

Soto is the biggest addition to the team, who was also able to retain Pete Alonso on a deal well below market value. Those two, along with shortstop Francisco Lindor and third baseman Mark Vientos, give New York a very strong lineup to work around.

Starting pitcher Sean Manaea, relief pitcher Ryne Stanek and outfielder Jesse Winker were all re-signed. A.J. Minter was a major addition to the bullpen, poached away from a common enemy for the Phillies and Mets, the Atlanta Braves.

New York also signed Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes to fill out the starting rotation, looking to replicate their success with reclamation projects as they did in 2024.

Holding off the Mets in the NL East is going to be difficult for Philadelphia. The Braves have legitimate World Series aspirations as well and the Washington Nationals, albeit a tier or two below, are going to be improved in 2025.

Overall, the Phillies don’t have any glaring holes on their roster. But it is never ideal to see one of your rivals end up in the winners column of an offseason recap piece.