Apr 27, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports Orlando Ramirez
Sunday, the Phillies acquired LHP Jesús Luzardo in a trade from the Miami Marlins, giving them an overqualified No. 5 starter.
Monday, they signed veteran righty Joe Ross, who figures to open the season as the long man in the bullpen, but has made 86 career starts and will likely make some starts for the Phillies in 2025.
No. 1 prospect Andrew Painter sounds like someone who is more in play for sometime between June and August, but will absolutely play a role for the Phillies in the starting rotation at some point this upcoming season.
So could president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski — who seems to have a surplus of starting options — trade from the rotation to upgrade another area of the roster?
"Well, we like our rotation, I like it a great deal," Dombrowski said. "And like the depth that we have now, which is always a concern. And you're always open-minded to anything. And I will say some clubs called right away as soon as they heard that we had made the trade.
"But it's not, no. I mean, again, you listen to anything. But I really like the idea of having the five starters out there with Ross and Walker. And then, we do have some good young pitching coming in addition to Painter. It's not quite there, but it's amazing how some of those names start coming up now in trade discussions."
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Obviously, the name on everyone's mind is Ranger Suárez, who is entering a contract year. Suárez just hired Scott Boras as his agent, which suggests that he's going to test free agency next offseason and go to the highest bidder. If the Phillies don't expect to re-sign Suárez, they could get more by trading him now, as opposed to letting him play out his contract year and collecting draft compensation if he signs elsewhere after rejecting a qualifying offer.
With that said, there's a case to be made for letting Suárez pitch for his next contract in red pinstripes. While he hit a wall in the second half of the 2024 season, he was an All-Star last year. There would be worse things than having him pitch for you when he's trying to earn generational wealth. He's also previously shown he can pitch out of the bullpen, which could make him an extremely valuable weapon in the postseason if you go with a starting rotation of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Sánchez and Luzardo but need help at the back-end of the arm barn.
What will happen to Taijuan Walker? The veteran righty has two seasons remaining on a four-year/$72 million deal. The Phillies have him on a weighted ball program trying to get his velocity to increase from the 91.5 mph average he had on his fastball a year ago. Dombrowski reiterated Friday that the Phillies didn't promise Walker a spot in their rotation to open the 2025 season.
If he comes to camp and looks rejuvenated, he could pitch out of the bullpen to open the season if there aren't any injuries. They could even try to trade him, although that would likely still require eating 80% or more of his remaining money. Realistically, though, Walker's body might have just hit a wall. It will be a positive development if he rediscovers something in Clearwater. It doesn't seem especially likely that will happen, though.
It's difficult to get too worked up about having a starting pitching surplus, particularly with the rate that arms get injured in the sport today. The Phillies have some very durable arms atop their rotation, but it's not uncommon to need 10 or more starters to get through a season.
The Phillies might not have 10 you trust, but they have five starters who could toe the rubber on Opening Day for many teams. They have a veteran swingman who is capable of eating innings. They have one of the best pitching prospects in the sport.
Dave Dombrowski says that Andrew Painter will throw in Spring Training but won’t pitch in games. The plan is to save his innings for the big league club until July.
If they get blown away in a trade offer for Suárez, they're in a position to consider it. Otherwise, having a stacked starting rotation is a pretty good place to be. The Phillies would have loved to be in that situation down the stretch of the 2024 season, when they couldn't seem to find anyone to pitch in the fifth turn of the rotation.
"You never have enough starting pitching depth, but I think we're starting to build a lot more," Dombrowski said.
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