The Philadelphia Phillies have some key pending free agents, and star pitcher Ranger Suarez is among them.
Suarez is one of the top starters available in free agency and will be in line for a massive payday. The left-hander has several teams interested in him, and he could leave Philadelphia.
MLB insider Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report predicts Suarez will leave the Phillies and sign with their rival, the Chicago Cubs, in free agency.
“Ranger Suárez has been a groundball pitcher throughout his career, with a strong 52.0 percent groundball rate for his career. And that means a team with a strong defensive infield might be his ideal landing spot,” Reuter wrote. “It doesn’t get much better than the middle-infield tandem of Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson for the Cubs. Rookie Matt Shaw was also a Gold Glove finalist at third base, making the North Side an ideal place for Suárez to land on a long-term deal.
“The question is whether the Cubs are still aiming that high in their search for pitching help after Shota Imanaga made the surprise decision to accept his qualifying offer after club and player options were both declined. With Justin Steele sidelined to open the year, they could still add one more arm to the rotation, with Colin Rea shifting into a swingman role in the bullpen.”
Suarez would be an impact pitcher for the Phillies and would bolster their rotation. He was 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA in 26 starts last season.
Phillies Want to Bring Back Suarez
Suarez was an impact starter for the Phillies last season, and Philadelphia is looking to bring him back.
The left-hander will be in line for a massive payday, but several teams are interested in him, according to insider Jim Bowden. Yet, the former MLB GM reported that the Phillies are hoping to re-sign Suarez.
“The Phillies are trying to re-sign Suárez, 30, but also believe they have enough starting pitching in-house if they can’t get a deal done with him,” Bowden wrote. “Suárez has had a FIP under 3.9 for each of the last five years. And he’s had a 3.33 ERA over his last 53 starts, allowing 2.3 walks per nine innings with 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
“One of the keys to his resume is that he only has 762 career innings on his arm odometer and he really knows how to pitch — adding and subtracting velocity and varying location. He has had back issues, however. There are several teams besides the Phillies that have interest in Suárez.”
Suarez was an All-Star in 2024.
What Will Suarez Get in Free Agency?
Suarez is one of the top pitchers available, as ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel ranks him as the 11th-best free agent.
Although Suarez is 30, he should get a lucrative multi-year deal. McDaniel projects Suarez will sign a four-year, $92 million deal in free agency.
“A team that signs him would be betting that when his velo tails off more toward the end of the deal. His feel will still make him a solid fourth starter given these traits,” McDaniel wrote. “There are parallels here with Jordan Montgomery and Eduardo Rodriguez as medium-stuff lefty starters with good feel, bulk innings and postseason experience. They both landed multiyear deals with AAVs in the low 20s. But Suarez is younger than both and arguably had the best platform year. So four — or possibly five — years (and nine figures) seems reasonable.”
Suarez would be a solid No. 3 starter for any contending team.
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