An awful lot about the Philadelphia Phillies in 2025 screams, “Must win now!”
The core of the team that fell short in the 2022 World Series is still intact, but several key figures — Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, JT Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, Zack Wheeler, and Aaron Nola — are all on the wrong side of 31. As the saying goes, the window for this group is quickly closing.
On top of that, Schwarber and Realmuto are among the players whose contracts are set to expire soon, and other key contributors like Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, and Brandon Marsh will be entering arbitration. The pressure is mounting for the Phillies to capitalize on their current roster before the team undergoes significant changes.
Plus, it’s hard not to see the parallels to the late-2000s decline that ushered in a decade of frustration. Except that chapter of the franchise included a World Series title in 2008 before inching further from that peak over the next three seasons, ultimately fading into a 10-year playoff drought.
This season has all the feel of a proud group hoping to make a final run for glory. But the Phillies front office must do its part and fix a few holes in the roster.
Byron Buxton Represents Huge Upgrade at Center Field for Philadelphia
A big issue in center field has festered since the season began. The combination of Marsh and Johan Rojas has added very little to the Phillies offense and been average at best on defense.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report has a suggestion that could answer those problems. In a Wednesday article examining potential “dream landing spots” for several high-profile players who could benefit from a change in scenery, Rymer imagines a scenario where the Phillies acquire Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins.
“Not since the early days of Odúbel Herrera’s career have the Phillies had a reliable regular in center field, much less a star,” Rymer opined. “They have managed to succeed despite this, but that should raise questions about how far they could go if they actually went out and got a star to roam the middle of their outfield.”
Of course, there are concerns with Buxton. At 31, he earns a locker alongside the aging core of the team.
And there’s no looking past the injury history. Buxton played just 102 games last year, and it was the first time he had reached triple digits since he entered 140 games in 2017.
But when Buxton plays, he produces, particularly on defense. He won his lone Gold Glove in 2017, but when healthy, Buxton is a highly-regarded defensive player, enough so to push another Gold Glove center fielder, Harrison Bader, over to left field this season.
And on offense, Buxton is a clear step above what the Phillies are currently getting from their center fielders. In 59 games this season, Buxton has slashed .280/.344/.556 with a .900 OPS, which is significantly higher than what the Marsh/Rojas duo has produced.
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