Philadelphia Phillies starter Ranger Suárez may end up becoming a casualty of the team’s payroll plans this offseason. On paper, he is the kind of pitcher any club would want to secure for the long term. He is thirty years old, has been an All-Star, and has repeatedly delivered in the postseason.
Yet the Phillies would still have a strong rotation even without him, especially if Zack Wheeler makes an early season return from thoracic outlet syndrome. On top of that, Philadelphia has two major free agents in designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and catcher J. T. Realmuto, both of whom would be far harder to replace because of the gaps they would leave in the lineup.
These factors make it increasingly possible that the Phillies will let Suárez enter free agency. Even so, they would hardly want to watch him end up with a division rival. Despite that, Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball predicted on Thursday that the Atlanta Braves will sign Suárez as the final addition to their injury ravaged rotation.
“For this Braves team, Suarez would be a breath of fresh air, giving them a second lefty they can lean on in their rotation,” Finkelstein wrote. “If everything clicks, Ranger is starting Game 3 or even Game 4 of a playoff series for the Braves next October. As the Phillies have taught us, that is a good place to be.”
Suárez’s standout 1.48 ERA across 42 and two thirds playoff innings is one of the first things that jumps out when reviewing his career numbers. He has also been more steady in the regular season than he often gets credit for. While he has never reached the 162 innings needed to qualify for an ERA title, he has thrown more than 150 innings in three of the past four seasons. If Atlanta is willing to pay for that level of dependability, Suárez could quickly become a problem for Philadelphia. Still, even with their current rotation issues, the Braves have traditionally been far more cautious about spending big on veteran starting pitching.