The Philadelphia Phillies have a solid group of starting pitchers on their staff. They're among the best staffs in MLB. Left-hander Ranger Suárez has been a vital part of the ascension of the rotation, but his second-half woes continue to snakebite him. It's also becoming increasingly difficult to envision Suárez returning after 2025.
Suárez is a free agent after the 2025 season. There were no real talks of a contract extension, and then Suárez hired super-agent Scott Boras. The Phillies' chances grew even slimmer to re-sign him, as Boras is notorious for enticing his clients to wait until free agency to get top dollar for their services.
That may not matter now, as Suárez has struggled considerably in the second half of the season. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski may have an easier time letting him walk with how things are trending.
Ranger Suárez's second-half struggles give Phillies an easy choice to let him walk in free agency
The Phillies nearly got another All-Star appearance from Suárez in the first half. He made his first start on May 4 and allowed seven earned runs over 3 2/3 innings. After that, he settled in and finished off the first half with a 7-3 record, a 2.15 ERA and 78 strikeouts over 83 2/3 innings. It was looking like a season where Suárez could put it all together, even with the late start.
The second half hasn't been as kind for Suárez and the Phillies. His struggles have become really concerning, per MLB.com's Paul Casella. In five starts since the All-Star break, Suárez has pitched to a 1-3 record, a 6.59 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 28 2/3 innings. In those starts, Suárez has given up six runs, one run, three runs, five runs and six runs.
It's also a trend that has continued for Suárez in his time with the Phillies. Across eight starts in the second half last season, he pitched to a 5.65 ERA. In 11 second-half starts in 2023, he had a 4.57 ERA.
At this point, the trend is becoming impossible to ignore, per Bob Cooney of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Suárez is an excellent and exciting pitcher to watch when he's at the peak of his game, but he has only surpassed 150 innings twice in his career as a member of the Phillies (155 1/3 innings in 2022 and 150 2/3 innings in 2024). There has also been a concerning dip in velocity that points to some possible fatigue.
Suárez is a valuable pitcher, there's no doubt about it, but perhaps the second-half limitations may cause Dombrowski and the rest of the Phillies front office to move in a different direction. Suárez has been beloved in Philadelphia, and perhaps there is still more excitement to come, as he does have a career 1.43 ERA across eight postseason starts. This may be his final run with the Phillies, so fans should take it in while they still can.