The Philadelphia Phillies’ quest for a World Series championship starts on March 27 against the Washington Nationals. The Phillies are coming off a 95-win season and a first-place finish in the NL East, but there seems to be much less pressure heading into the 2025 season.
The Phillies are built to be a win-now team. They have one of the largest payrolls in Major League Baseball and a group of veteran core players. Last year’s early exit from the playoffs and the lack of franchise-altering moves this offseason have shifted the baseball world’s attention to other teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets and less to the Phillies.
Shane Victorino has high hopes for this year's Phillies team
The media, fans and other people around the majors may have more faith in other teams this year, but the Phillies are still a very good ball club. Phillies legend and 2008 World Series champion Shane Victorino, serving as a special guest instructor this spring, believes this team has the right players in place to win it all in 2025.
“I think this team has definitely gotten better — some of the acquisitions,” Victorino said about the Phillies’ roster in an interview at BayCare Ballpark. “I mean, you gotta think [Jesús] Luzardo is a great starter. To put another starter to the starters that they already have. And then the lineup, I mean, this is an easy 95-plus team win, I mean just quietly too.”
The Phillies were linked to multiple high-profile players this offseason such as Juan Soto, Garrett Crochet, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman, but were relatively quiet compared to other teams. They notably signed former Toronto Blue Jays two-time All-Star closer Jordan Romano and Minnesota Twins 10-year veteran outfielder Max Kepler to one-year deals and traded for left-handed starter Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins.
Teams got better this offseason, some more than others. The Phillies feel like they improved their roster heading into the new season, but the big moves by teams like the Dodgers and Mets overshadowed them.
“They’re not the team that beginning of every other year, it’s like the Phillies are the team to beat, the Phillies are the team to beat,” Victorino said about how the Phillies are viewed heading into the 2025 season. “Now it’s like OK the Dodgers and all these teams and you kind of get pushed back. For me, I’d come out there with a chip on my shoulder, like I’m glad that everybody doesn’t think we’re that good. We’re gonna sneak, we’re gonna do our thing and then we’ll bite you in the end.”
The Phillies had a 62-34 record during the first half of last season and were among the best in the majors. They had eight All-Stars and two players named to the All-MLB Teams. The Phillies were a .500 team during the second half and collapsed late in the season, which resulted in the four-game Divisional Round loss.
The Phillies will be a competitive team this year. The lineup arguably got better this offseason with the addition of Kepler in left field and the starting rotation is expected to be one of, if not the best. The bullpen may have taken a hit after losing Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez in free agency, but they have the talent to be a dominant group.
“It’s always now,” Victorino said about the Phillies’ championship aspirations in 2025. “At least that’s the way I looked at it when I played.”