Final thoughts on the dream 2024 Phillies lineup
This potent dream Phillies starting lineup will wreak havoc on opposing teams right from the start of the 2024 season. With the overload of star players in the top half of the order, pitchers will fear for their lives every time they head out to pitch against the Phillies.
Not only will there be no easy outs in the lineup, but every one of the Phillies players can post double-digit home runs and more than 60 RBI while hitting for a decent batting average. Even more frightening is the fact that seven of the nine players can torment the opposition on the basepaths once they get on base.
However, for this dream starting lineup to work, it will require the removal of both Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos from the roster. By removing the free-swinging, high-whiff rates of these players from the lineup, the Phillies get that much more dangerous with more balls being put in play. In addition, instead of having Schwarber and Castellanos with their combined -30 DRS in 2023 roaming the outfield, the team will now have a bit more defensive reliability with the three-headed monster of Marsh, Bellinger, and Soler.
More importantly, the removal of both Schwarber and Castellanos off the books will help shave $39 million off the Phillies' annual payroll that could easily be used to recruit the incoming star players. But even so, the Phillies’ payroll will no doubt end up skyrocketing way beyond what they would expect.
But if they don’t mind paying the luxury tax, who knows, maybe, just maybe, this dream lineup could in fact become a reality. In the meantime, for all of the Phillies' faithful out there, we can only wait and hope.