One of the main areas of concern for me moving forward with the Philadelphia Phillies is the possibility of losing multiple of their elite players to free agency this winter.
One player in particular that I don't think is getting enough love is Ranger Suarez, a left-hander who has done nothing but throw the baseball at a very high level during his time in Philadelphia.
Suarez has improved over the past few seasons, showing that he’s one of the better left-handed starters in the game, and as of now, is the best left-hander available in free agency.
With a 3.20 ERA last season and continuing to throw the baseball at a very high level throughout the past few years, I'd love the idea of keeping them around.
However, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, he may be too expensive for the Phillies to retain. It wouldn't be an issue of the Phillies not loving him as a player and a person, but rather the fact that he'll simply be too expensive.
“It’s not as though the Phillies have no appetite to retain Suárez. But given the lack of quality starting pitchers on the free-agent market, he could score a deal that pays him like a No. 2 starter. The Phillies might view Suárez as more of a No. 3/4 type; he’s never made 30 starts in the majors. They spent close to $105 million on their rotation this year, about a third of the club’s payroll, and only the Los Angeles Dodgers devoted a higher percentage of payroll to starting pitchers.
“Suárez might just be the odd man out because the Phillies want to prioritize other places on the roster. Is that wise? I don’t know. The Phillies have a murkier rotation picture than they did a year ago at this time. Zack Wheeler is surrounded by doubt. Aaron Nola is coming off the worst season of his career. Andrew Painter, while still a promising prospect, did not contribute in 2025,” he wrote.
Suarez will have numerous suitors in free agency, arguably the best starting pitcher available.
That doesn't guarantee he'll get $200 million, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the number creep up to that level.