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Boston Red Sox interested in free agent pitcher Ranger Suarez
How do the Philadelphia Phillies go from here?
It may be a strange question to ask about a team that won 96 games last year, but a relevant one nonetheless.
After losing left-handed pitcher Ranger Suarez, this is the question many Philadelphia fans will be asking.
Suarez signed with the Boston Red Sox on a five-year, $130 million contract today, per Jon Heyman.
This is a big, but expected, loss for the Phillies after the moves Philadelphia has made this offseason. However, it raises questions about how the Phillies will proceed with their starting rotation.
Zack Wheeler might be on the IL to start the season after surgery to remove a blood clot last season. Losing your ace is never easy, but the Phillies have problems beyond that.
Long-time Phillies starter Aaron Nola is coming off an injury-marred 2025 with a 6.01 ERA in 17 games. Additionally, Andrew Painter could be in the opening-day rotation, despite not having started a major league game and struggling in the minors in 2025.
While Cristopher Sanchez is coming off a season where he finished runner-up in Cy Young voting to Paul Skenes, and Jesus Luzardo is coming off a strong season, the Phillies now need another arm to contend and to replace Suarez.
Suarez’s Tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies
Signing with the Phillies at the age of 16 out of Venezuela, Suarez has been in the organization since 2012. The Phillies fan base loved him for his great attitude and style of play.
Beginning as a reliever in the early portion of his major league career, Suarez broke out in 2021 with a 1.36 ERA in 39 games (12 starts), with 107 strikeouts.
Over the past four seasons, he has served as a front-end starter for a team that has been contending over that time period.
In 2022, he recorded a 3.65 ERA while getting the pennant-clinching out of the NLCS. In 2024, he made his first All-Star Game with a 3.46 ERA.
Owning a 3.38 ERA across eight major league seasons, Suarez was a highly sought-after free agent. His playoff experience, however, is what made him be viewed as a different pitcher. In 11 games (eight starts), Suarez had a minuscule 1.48 playoff ERA with Philadelphia.
So how does a team replace that kind of talent?
How do the Phillies Replace Suarez?
There are still a couple of high-end free agent pitchers left on the market in mid-January. Zac Gallen and Framber Valdez fit that description.
However, after re-signing Kyle Schwarber to a big deal, still being in on Bo Bichette and needing a starting catcher to replace J.T. Realmuto, the Phillies don’t have much in the way of available payroll.
This could lead to the Phillies going after a mid-market free agent starter to fill the void left by Suarez.
Someone like Nick Martinez, Lucas Giolito, Max Scherzer or Chris Bassitt could be a nice addition, without having to add much in the way of salary.
Suarez’s leaving was huge, but how will the Phillies respond?
Matthew Singer Matthew Singer is a sports reporter covering MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2025, and has two years of experience covering local professional, collegiate and high school sports, including writing for Cronkite News and Arizona PBS. More about Matthew Singer
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