The offseason seems pretty wrapped up for the Philadelphia Phillies. They've spent enough to grow their payroll all the more and now, barring another trade or even another free-agent signing, are waiting for spring training to start in a month.
The Phillies are on the hunt for back-to-back division crowns, a feat that escaped them for over a decade. The front office feels this team is good enough to win but felt some tweaks would go a long way to assure the ball club of at least retaining the 95-win team from a season ago. Those tweaks were in the ways we were expecting the team to fill. Let's see how those predicted moves graded out in this offseason's recap.
The Phillies' offseason grade from The Athletic is right on the mark
With the payroll having a strong influence on the moves for 2025, it makes it even more important how effectively they spend their remaining assets on free agents. According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Phillies graded out at a B for the offseason (subscription required). It's a fair grade, given what they had to work with while still upgrading the positions in need for 2025.
The free agents brought in on one-year deals were relievers Jordan Romano ($8.5 million), and Joe Ross ($4 million) and outfielder Max Kepler ($10 million). These weren't the big splash moves from free agency expected by fans, especially how aggressively the Phillies have acted in previous offseasons. That's when they went ahead and traded for left-handed starter Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins. Luzardo agreed to a deal for $6.225 million to avoid arbitration in 2025.
A B grade is a fair assessment with all the limitations the team had coming in. Not all teams can go all out and spend like the New York Mets did for Juan Soto, but the Phillies seek a different kind of re-tooling. They didn't make the flashiest deals on the market, but the upside of their signings can plug holes for the team and prevent the stalling they've endured in previous postseasons. They filled a position in the outfield that has declined in recent years. Kepler believes he's ready to fill that role, per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Bullpen additions never hurt, and you can never have too much starting pitching.
The Phillies are in the window right now for a World Series championship. They still believe in the core that takes the field every day, and after watching the club all summer long, who could blame them? The signings are reinforcements to back the main guys with an upside that can turn the team into a juggernaut. Not every offseason is flashy, but the great teams know the right strings to pull behind the curtain.