Homegrown and pitching for the Phillies for eight seasons now, Ranger Suárez has become a fan favorite for many, and he's actually become one of the most successful left-handed hurlers in the majors over the last few seasons.
He's also now a real free-agent target for teams looking for a top of the rotation arm, and the Phillies will have a really difficult decision this fall determining whether they want to bring him back.
That's the jumping-off point for our next stay or go examination, should the Phillies be aggressively looking to retain Suárez?
Why he should stay:
He's elite
Here's how Suárez, ranks among National League starters last season:
| Category | Stat | NL Rank |
| Pitching War | 4.7 | 9th |
| ERA | 3.20 | 7th* |
| Championship WPA | 2.1 | 7th |
Suárez got a late start to the year and made just 26 starts, which is why he technically didn't qualify for the ERA title*. But that he was able to amass a top-10 WAR (wins above replacement) while missing seven starts is impressive. Over his last five seasons with the Phillies, Suárez has a a 17.7 WAR, and has gone 46-34 with a 3.25 ERA.
He's also appeared in 11 postseason games, eight of them starts, and has a 1.48 ERA when it matters the most.
He's versatile
We mentioned his postseason ERA and his clutch pitching, and it was front and center in 2025. In NLDS Game 3, Suárez was the only Phillie to earn a win this October as he entered the game in the third inning and tossed five frames of one-run baseball after Aaron Nola served as an "opener." He's been humble and has worked out of the bullpen his entire career even though he is an excellent starting pitcher.
You can never have enough pitching
The Phillies had a deep well of starting pitching this season and it's one of the reasons why they were so successful, at least until the weren't in 2025.
- Phillies stay or go series
- Rob Thomson | Dave Dombrowski | Kyle Schwarber | Ranger Suárez | J.T. Realmuto | Nick Castellanos | Harrison Bader | Alec Bohm | Max Kepler | Walker Buehler | Taijuan Walker | Jordan Romano, David Robertson, José Alvarado | Rafael Marchán, Weston Wilson, Edmundo Sosa, Otto Kemp
Overcoming Zack Wheeler's season-ending blood clot ailment seemed almost like an afterthought, as the rest of the staff stepped up and proved the team had more than enough pitching, without Wheeler and with Nola struggling, to contend for a World Series. The hitting was the problem, not the pitching, and that's a major argument in favor of keeping the arm depth high and keeping Suárez in the fold.
Why he should go:
He's going to be expensive
Before even considering what Suárez could cost to bring back, the Phillies are slated to pay the starters currently on the roster over $88 million in 2026, the second-highest commitment in the sport. Spotrac projects his market value to be right around $27 million per year, as he remains in his prime entering his age 30 season. They could add $27 million to the payroll, Suárez has proven he's probably worth it. But Suárez will arguably be the best free-agent starter on the market and could create a real bidding war.
There is a potential rotation logjam
A lot is riding on Zack Wheeler's healthy return from thoracic outlet decompression surgery, but if he's able to pitch in 2026 and regain his Cy Young form — and he is expected to — there is a lot of depth currently under contract:
| Starter |
| Zack Wheeler |
| Cris Sánchez |
| Aaron Nola |
| Jesús Luzardo |
| Taijuan Walker |
| Andrew Painter |
Not to mention, the Phillies could also bring back Walker Bueheler on a pretty friendly deal. Suárez would be welcomed on any team – he's an elite pitcher – but the Phillies might feel like they don't have a need there and will look to spend in other places. If top pitching prospect Andrew Painter is able to make the MLB rotation — after a shaky stint in the minors in 2025 — there will be no room for Suárez.
Are they too left-handed?
One of the main reasons why Suárez was sort of the odd man out in the NLDS against the Dodgers is that the other top-line starters the Phillies used in the series, Sánchez and Luzardo, also throw from the left side.
The Phillies had three lefty starters last season and in a league with majority righty hitters, that might be too many. And it might be a factor, as the Phillies look to build it back in 2026 to make a postseason run. In an ideal word they'd have Wheeler and Nola healthy and pitching well from the right side to compliment Sánchez and Luzardo in a long postseasons series.
What do you think?
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