The core is only getting older
As previously mentioned, the Phillies core will return in 2025. The issue is that Harper, Schwarber, Castellanos, Turner and Realmuto are only getting older. Turner and Schwarber are the youngest of the core at 31 years old.
The Phillies spent all that money on the core group with hopes of winning a World Series championship. Harper and Turner will be around for many more years, but the other three players are nearing the end of their contracts.
The time to win is now. The championship window on this core group is slamming shut. The 2025 season could be the last time those five players take the field together with the Phillies. Schwarber and Realmuto will both be free agents at the end of next season and given their age, the Phillies may opt to move on from them.
The Phillies made the World Series in 2022. They were eliminated in the NLCS in 2023. The red-hot New York Mets sent them home early in the NLDS in 2024. The Phillies need to find a way to fix the issues that led to the early exit in 2024 and get back to the World Series.
Barring something crazy, the core will be back next season and the lineup will remain the same. Fans wanted to see some change, but that’s unlikely with the coaching staff returning and the front office having no plans of making any major moves to the lineup.
The Phillies will always be competitive while Harper is on the roster, but 2025 might be the best chance to bring the trophy home to the City of Brotherly Love until a new core is established. Luckily for the Phillies, the future looks bright with Crawford, Aidan Miller, Andrew Painter and others knocking on the door of the big leagues.
The 2024 season was a disappointment and there’s really no other way to describe it. The Phillies have a talented roster and can compete with elite teams like the New York Yankees and 2024 World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s up to the coaching staff and the players to make adjustments and head into 2025 with one goal in mind: a World Series championship.