The Philadelphia Phillies have put in the work both out on the market and down on the farm to give themselves a wide open window. In a way, the NL East is their oyster.
This even though the rival Atlanta Braves are always nipping at their heels, and now the Mets are joining in the fun. Meanwhile, Dave Dombrowski and Rob Thomson keep fielding powerful lineups paired with strong pitching. Bryce Harper leads the powerful lineup while Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler form a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.
The Phillies proved strong enough to win 95 games last year despite a stunning upset by the Mets in the NLDS. Regardless, expect Philadelphia to try running it back once again in NL East that is theirs to lose.
Greatest Addition: Jordan Romano. Relief pitching has been Philly’s bug-a-boo for years, so Dombrowski adding Romano on a one-year, $8.5 million deal was the right call. The fastball-slider specialist struggled with elbow problems in 2024 and had a 6.59 ERA in just 15 games and eight saves. However, Romano posted 95 saves the previous three years and was a two-time All-Star in Toronto.
He’s been lights out in spring training, not allowing a single run. If he pitches well enough, perhaps Dombrowski will re-sign him and finally bring some stabilit to the bullpen.
Greatest Loss: Jeff Hoffman. Some setup men are destined to take the next step towards being closers. This offseason marked Hoffman’s turn. He signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Blue Jays to succeed, ironically, Romano as the closer in the Great White North.
Philly will miss Hoffman, who pitched to a 2.17 ERA with 12.1 K/9 last year and made the All-Star team. Losing him means the bullpen bridge to Romano isn’t as study.
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Greatest Strength: The Nola-Wheeler tandem. Having a stacked and powerful lineup led by Bryce Harper helps, but Philadelphia’s real strength is at the top of their rotation. Nola is as durable an ace as they come, while Wheeler owns a 2.94 ERA in a Phillies uniform. This earned him a $126 million extension in the offseason.
But Nola and Wheeler’s two strengths cannot be measured by what’s on the back of a baseball card. There’s something deeper to their presence. Their success trickles down to the rest of the rotation. Case in point, Ranger Suarez had a 2.76 ERA at the Break last year and was an All-Star before injuries got him off track. Lefty Cristopher Sanchez turned in a career season and has a dominant 1.62 ERA this spring.
Winning is indeed contagious, so let’s see if the young arms behind Wheeler and Nola can build off of last year.
Greatest Weakness: Bullpen. Even with Romano, it’s hard to trust this Phillies bullpen. Philadelphia’s relievers ranked 14th in MLB with a 3.94 ERA in 2024, down from seventh the year prior. Even that is an anomaly as Philly’s bullpen has often been middling or sub-average in recent years. Aside from 2023, the Phillies’ relievers haven’t had a Top 10 bullpen ERA since 2011.
Romano is a solid closer, but the support behind him is a different story. Setup man Jose Alvarado’s K/9 dropped over 4.5 points last season to 9.2 after ditching his four-seamer for a sinker. Tanner Banks can be streaky and Matt Strahm is hurt. Orion Kerkering has tons of potential, but still only one full season under his belt.
It’s a good thing the Phillies have so much power in their lineup. Unless the arms behind Romano overachieve and/or Dombrowski trades for more help, expect another shaky bullpen at the Bank.
Can we expect better from the Phillies in 2025? In a nutshell, yes. The Phillies aren’t a perfect team, but the NL East is still very much theirs to lose. The Braves’ lineup is equally if not more powerful, but their pitching not nearly as strong. Juan Soto makes the Mets better, but they too have lots of questions surrounding their pitching staff.
Thus, whether you’re browsing NY sports betting apps or otherwise in a betting mood, the Phillies have plenty of options. Long-term, they should win the division and have a shot at reaching the NLCS. Betting on Harper to win an MVP and/or hit at least 30 home runs is always a good idea. Philly is always a fun multi-leg parlay pick as well.
In short, expect the Phillies to push hard for a deep October run again this season. The only downside is their bullpen might not be enough to keep pace with the NL-favorite Dodgers.
