Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
As the Philadelphia Phillies move forward with the offseason, the team has multiple crucial free agents hitting the open market. The Phillies will do their best to retain each, but things hardly ever work out in this manner.
One of the players is veteran left-hander Ranger Suarez, who was a crucial piece to the puzzle for Philadelphia last season. Suarez made 26 starts for the Phillies last year, putting up an ERA of 3.20.
Due to his performance, Suarez has been a hot commodity in free agency, and this could see a team look to steal him from Philadelphia. Since the Phillies may have to prioritize other areas, Suarez could be the odd man out this winter.
The veteran has been solid for multiple years, putting up a combined ERA of 3.59 in 104 starts over the last four seasons. Any team that would sign him would land a reliable arm that could easily slot into the middle part of a rotation.
One issue for interested teams is that the fastball of Suarez has dipped in velocity over the last few seasons. It has dropped around two miles per hour, but Suarez has still found a way to make things work for him on the mound.
Even with this, the veteran could net a strong contract on the open market, and he is one of the better pitchers available. But where he could land remains to be seen, especially considering nobody knows how the Phillies will play everything.
This is just a prediction, NOT a report!
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As Suarez looks around the league for options, the best one would likely be to remain with the Phillies. Suarez has found a nice home with the Phillies, and Philadelphia may need him more than they know.
With ace Zack Wheeler likely to be out for some time next season due to injury, Philadelphia may want to have someone like Suarez to lead the rotation. Suarez would at least give this team some stability to open the year, and he could continue to find the success that he has seen over the years.
Multiple players on the Phillies talked about this past season feeling different, and that they could have some unfinished business to attend to. This could see someone like Suarez look to return to the team, and help this organization go after another World Series title moving forward.
The Phillies will have a lot of suitors to steal Suarez away, but as long as they give him a competitive offer, he could easily choose to return to the team. But whether the Philadelphia front office does this is another question, especially with the other free agents that they have to deal with this offseason.