The Phillies should trade Ranger Suárez now
With the acquisition of Luzardo, one would think that the Phillies have one of the best starting five in all of baseball. So, with that unbeatable formation in place, why should Philadelphia move Ranger Suárez when they have the chance?
After all, Suárez just put together one of the best starts to an MLB season last year when he went 9-0 with a stellar 1.36 ERA and 0.79 WHIP, along with 68 strikeouts in just 66 innings pitched over his first 10 outings. And at just the young age of 29, he's still in his prime.
Well, for one thing, Suárez has had a somewhat prominent injury history over the past couple of seasons. In 2023, elbow and hamstring issues limited him to just 22 starts. On top of that, it ended up affecting his overall effectiveness, as he posted an ERA above 4.00 and a WHIP above 1.40 for the first time since 2020.
This past year, Suárez was off to an amazing first half before a back issue took its toll on the 29-year-old left-hander. In effect, it hindered his performance prior to landing on the IL, as well as after coming off of it, as he ended up posting a dismal 2-6 record with a 6.54 ERA and 1.74 WHIP, giving up 38 earned runs and 22 walks with 46 strikeouts in just 52 1/3 innings of work over his last 11 starts of the regular season. If Suárez can’t put his injury woes behind him, it could significantly limit his upside and effectiveness going forward.
With Suárez heading towards free agency upon the conclusion of the 2025 season, he has hired Scott Boras as his new agent in preparation. In doing so, it hints that he won’t be returning to Philadelphia after next year.
If Suárez ends up performing poorly, the Phillies likely wouldn’t want to retain him and let him walk to free agency. If he ends up regaining his dominant form, with Boras as his agent, there’s no doubt his salary demands will be beyond what the Phillies can afford to keep him. Therefore, they would lose Suárez as well. If Philadelphia doesn’t take advantage while his value is high at this moment to move him, they will likely lose him for nothing at the end of 2025.