How Phillies’ Ranger Suárez is set to build on 2022 postseason dominance

Ranger Suárez will likely make less than $20 million overall through 2025.

With the Phillies currently having $300 million and upward contracts of Bryce Harper and Trea Turner on the books, the club’s focus has become to find players who can perform on a team-friendly deal.

On top of owing more than $50 million to Harper and Turner in 2023, the Phillies will also pay the aforementioned trio of Aaron Nola, Zach Wheeler, and Taijuan Walker an additional $58.5 million.

Part of what makes Ranger Suárez so valuable to the Phillies is that even after he clears arbitration, he will likely only make around $4 million for the 2023 season, according to Spotrac. The left-hander will not be eligible to become a free agent until after the 2025 season, and the odds of one of Suárez’s arbitration years reaching a price tag higher than $10 million are slim.

Payroll flexibility is something that will become more important to the Phillies front office in the coming years. The Phillies will need to bring more October baseball games to Philadelphia for the front office to keep handing out generous offers. After setting the expectation of winning a pennant, there will unlikely be a tolerance for players who underperform.

This is why it is so significant that Suárez played his best baseball when it mattered the most. Allowing zero runs, four hits, and striking out five batters in the World Series perfectly displayed what kind of player Suárez is and can continue to be.

Suárez’s ability to perform in the clutch — coupled with his adaptability and affordability — makes him a true rarity.