The Philadelphia Phillies’ season concluded with their 2-1 Game 4 loss in extra innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night, and all eyes turn toward the impending free agency period.
The club’s starting pitching was by far its biggest bright spot in a series that saw three heartbreaking losses that only worsened each time. Despite ace Zack Wheeler going down due to a season-ending arm injury, the rest of the rotation stepped up in a major way, albeit to no avail, as the offense failed to generate any meaningful production.
As the MLB season rolls on through October, free agency is looming in just a few short weeks. The upcoming free agency class is quite an interesting group of names, with no position group filled with more talent than starting pitching.
MLB analysts have already begun previewing the class as a whole, and Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly published a piece early Friday morning ranking the ten best starters set to be available once the new league calendar begins.
Sep 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) throws pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Coming in at the #3 slot is Phillies’ southpaw Ranger Suarez, coming off another spectacular regular season and, maybe more importantly to his free agency value, postseason performance.
The 30-year-old has spent all eight of his MLB seasons in Philadelphia, and will test the market for the first time, barring an unexpected extension prior to the free agency period opening up. Kelly ranked him behind just Dylan Cease and Framber Valdez, two players frequently hovering around Cy Young conversations.
He was listed above former All-Stars such as Zac Gallen and Brandon Woodruff, among others, a testament to just how effective Suarez has been in recent years.
According to the MLB contract projection formula developed by Spotrac, a potential deal for Suarez could settle around the $160 million mark across six years, for an average annual value of about $26 million.
The number is more than deserved, as Suarez’s career 3.38 earned run average in the regular season and staggering 1.48 ERA in the postseason are among the league’s best current marks, especially his October stats.
Suarez is also represented by agent Scott Boras, notorious among MLB circles for squeezing every last dollar out of front offices; an unfortunate reality that makes the Phillies retaining Suarez even less likely.
Ranger Suárez is chatting with his agent, Scott Boras. It was a very good night for them last night as he nears free agency. pic.twitter.com/nl85jGGkEb
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) October 9, 2025
With major changes expected within the Phillies’ organization this offseason, it’s still quite unknown as to how they view Suarez and the importance of keeping him on the roster long term, especially at his projected dollar amount. Time will only tell, but it’s clear that no matter where Suarez signs, he’ll be paid handsomely for his services.