The Phillies have three key players slated for free agency this coming offseason and three decisions to make regarding whether to try and keep them from getting there. Between Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Ranger Suárez, it’s not hard to imagine that the least likely to get an extension, as of now, is Suárez.
It’s also not hard to imagine his free-agent contract, should things break his way this season, being the richest of the three.
The second-longest tenured player on the roster, Suárez debuted for the Phillies in 2018 – before Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto, before Zack Wheeler, before the end of the playoff drought. He broke out in 2021, when it took him barely more than 100 innings between the bullpen and rotation to produce 5.6 bWAR, and built on it with a 3.74 ERA across the next three years.
By ERA, last season was the best full one of his career, save for that 2021 breakout. It doesn’t quite tell the full story. Suárez had a 1.75 clip in his first 15 starts before his numbers were derailed (relatively speaking) thereafter by injuries.
He was the biggest question mark in the Phillies’ rotation entering the postseason, and his 4 1/3 scoreless innings the night their season ended felt miraculous in a way that would’ve been unimaginable just a few months before.
It makes 2025 a crucial year for Suárez to prove his durability — and, along with his specific new representation, perhaps a year that feels unlikely to see him extended.
As aware of that fact as he may be, Suárez nonetheless indicated he wants the end result to be the same: a long-term pact with the Phillies.
“This is my childhood club, my childhood organization,” Suárez said Tuesday through an interpreter after his spring debut. “I’ve played here since I was young, really young. All I think about is staying here. I want to pitch here for the rest of my career.
“It’s about going through the season, and going after that after the season is over,” Suárez continued, notably, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “We’re going to see what happens.”
When he’s been on the field and healthy, Suárez has been remarkably consistent for the Phillies — and, several times, one of the few best pitchers in the National League. If he can give, say, 160 innings this year (which would set a career-high, but he’s exceeded 150 twice), it’s a safe bet he’d pitch himself into a handsome, long-term payday.
External factors could complicate that, though. The Phillies will open the season with five starters who can reasonably pitch like frontline arms. If all stay healthy and pitch to their potential, Andrew Painter’s expected arrival in the summer will force someone to the bullpen. (That’s assuming they don’t go with a six-man rotation, something Zack Wheeler openly dislikes and something the team has been hesitant to deploy.)
As the one in the rotation with the most experience (and success) as a reliever, Suárez would figure to be the leading candidate. Would that go over well with him (and Boras) in a contract year? It’s tough to say.
It’s a question that’s months away from relevancy and will only apply if everything goes according to plan. But Suárez has a plan of his own, too. Apparently, it involves staying in Philadelphia until he hangs it up.
