Re-signing Kyle Schwarber was Philadelphia’s top priority this offseason, but two notable free agents from last year’s roster are still unsigned.
At catcher, J.T. Realmuto remains the Phillies’ top choice, and while other teams are expected to show interest, Philadelphia is widely viewed as the frontrunner to bring him back. The situation is less certain with left-hander Ranger Suárez.
Despite owning an All-Star appearance and standing out as one of the game’s most effective postseason pitchers by the numbers, Suárez may be considered expendable. His role could overlap too much with others in the rotation to justify the significant contract he’s likely to command—one that could push the Phillies’ payroll beyond the $300 million mark.
On Monday, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report registered an ominous prediction for any Phillies fans hoping that Suárez would return. The 30-year-old lefty was on Kelly’s list of remaining free agents who he strongly believed would join new teams for the coming season.
“The Phillies have continued to pay lip service to the possibility of bringing back Ranger Suárez, but the reality is that from the moment they acquired Jesús Luzardo in a trade last December, it felt unlikely that they would re-sign him,” Kelly wrote.
“It’s not that there isn’t some uncertainty with (the rotation), but the Phillies re-signed Kyle Schwarber for $150 million, hope to bring back J.T. Realmuto and still could circle back with Harrison Bader. The focus of Dave Dombrowski and company is elsewhere right now.”
There’s a narrative around Suárez centering around his perceived inability to carry a big workload, because he’s never topped the 162-inning threshold necessary to qualify for the ERA title. But he’s been over 150 innings in three of the last four seasons, and put up between 2.4 and 5.6 bWAR in each of the last five.
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