Phillies quietly built roster better than 2022 World Series squad

Over the last three seasons, the Philadelphia Phillies have been knocking on the door of a championship.

In 2022, they were crowned National League champions and finished just two wins shy of a World Series title. A season later, the team again advanced to the NLCS, losing in seven games to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Last season, Philly finished with the second-best record in the National League, proving once more to be among the majors’ juggernaut teams. However, they lost to the division rival New York Mets in the NLDS.

Despite boasting hyper-talented teams in recent years, this year’s roster could be the best.

“The Phillies are still the team to beat for me.”

Matty V and Harold discuss the offseason from the reigning NL East champions and where they stand in the stacked division entering next season. #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/ww7V9ASDPb

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 4, 2025

Although the Phillies didn’t land prized free agents like outfielder Juan Soto or pitchers Blake Snell or Max Fried, the team still made roster improvements.

In the bullpen, the Phillies signed Jordan Romano. The move comes with a bit of risk, as Romano had a down year and was plagued by injuries in 2024. When he’s healthy, the two-time All-Star is a shutdown reliever who can hold down the fort in late innings.

The addition of Jesus Luzardo was arguably the most notable offseason move for the starting rotation. The 27-year-old was acquired from the Marlins in December in exchange for infielder Starlyn Caba and outfielder Emaarion Boyd.

With Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez already occupying rotation spots, Philadelphia entered the offseason looking for an arm to round out its starting staff. By acquiring Luzardo, the Phillies swung for the fences by adding a pitcher capable of occupying the fifth rotation spot or being a front-end starter.

“First of all, we like Jesus Luzardo a great deal,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “We think he’s a quality big league pitcher and we’ve liked him for a few years.

“I’ve always felt that the best way to win is to try to throw a quality starting pitcher out there every single day if you can,” he continued. “It gives you the odds to win. We just felt that by acquiring Luzardo, it gives us that capability.”

Like Romano, Luzardo is a talented pitcher with a shaky injury history. He recorded a 5.00 ERA over 12 starts in 2024 before his season ended prematurely due to a lumbar stress reaction. A former top prospect, the southpaw has battled injuries throughout his career, tossing just 512 innings since his MLB debut in 2019.

The Phillies will be banking on Luzardo’s upside this season — specifically, his impressive strikeout rates. Since 2022, Luzardo has recorded 20 games with 8+ strikeouts and boasts a 10.1 K/9 ratio.

Offensively, Philadelphia didn’t do much this offseason besides inking outfielder Max Kepler to a one-year deal. That said, they weren’t exactly desperate for another bat. Last season, the Phillies boasted one of the best lineups in MLB, finishing fourth in hits, seventh in home runs and fifth in RBI.

With a rotation chock-full of All-Stars complementing their hard-hitting lineup, Philadelphia enters the 2025 season focusing on the ultimate goal — winning a World Series title.