The Philadelphia Phillies ended up being quite active this offseason as they have made various moves in a valiant effort to retool their roster for the upcoming 2025 MLB season. Whether it was signing players from the free agent market or adding players via the trade route, the Phillies hope that the new blood joining the organization will be the missing pieces to finally put them over the top.
However, as great as their offseason transactions have been, there are still some potential big-time game-changers that Philadelphia missed out on. Those players could have made a monumental difference for the ballclub in helping them to sustain winning and long-term success. Let's take a look at six of those players that the Phillies and their fans will wish they had acquired this winter.
Corbin Burnes, SP
Without a doubt, Corbin Burnes has been one of the top pitchers in the league for quite some time now. Just taking a look at his glorified resume, the four-time All-Star has finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting in each of the past five seasons, including taking home the honor in 2021 as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.
In fact, all Burnes has done so far in his illustrious seven-year MLB career is post a stellar 60-36 record, 3.19 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with a whopping 1,051 strikeouts in 903 2/3 innings over 199 appearances with 138 starts. On top of that, he has even been a monster in the postseason, compiling a tidy 2.33 ERA and 0.852 WHIP, giving up just seven earned runs on 16 hits with seven walks and 25 strikeouts in 27 innings over nine career playoff games. It's just surprising that Burnes hasn't helped his respective teams to more success in the postseason with that stellar performance.
At 30 years old and in the midst of his prime, the star right-hander should have plenty of dominant years left anchoring any team’s rotation as the ace of the pitching staff. Even though the Phillies did well in acquiring promising lefty Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins this offseason to upgrade their rotation, it sure pales compared to had they landed a stud like Burnes. It would have instantly converted their rotation into the best starting five in the league, hands down. Instead, he is now the property of their nemesis from the 2023 playoffs in the Arizona Diamondbacks.