With Opening Day right around the corner, it has been so nice to just have baseball back. While many of us are still reeling from the Eagles’ Super Bowl win, most Philly sports fans know the grueling wait from the last snap of football season coming too early, leaving a long gap between that and the first pitch of Spring Training. This year, Phillies fans were lucky enough to have the excitement of a championship brought to the city thanks to the birds, and additionally, got excited at the flurry of moves made by Dave Dombrowski, John Middleton, and the rest of the executive staff. It’s no secret that the 2024 season came to an abrupt end after the Mets squashed any and all playoff hopes during the NLDS, and Spring Training being off to a moderately rocky start with virtually the same lineup from years past, could this be the year all things go right for the Phillies? Last year, they were their own worst enemies playing some sloppy baseball defensively with no bats whatsoever, and while Spring Training started to seem as though the Phils couldn’t shake off the cobwebs of a once successful squad, they’ve just picked up three games in a row with both their “A squad” and “B Squad,” so it seems as though the team is picking up steam ahead of Opening Day at just the right time.

While many were upset at the lack of movement from what was once one of the most active front offices in the league, many are shocked at the lack of urgency in finding new bullpen arms after trading both Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez to the Orioles this past offseason and last trade deadline and the the departures of 2024 All-Star, Jeff Hoffman, after the losing him in free agency to the Blue Jays. Unfortunately, the pen’s most reliable arm in Matt Strahm is now seeming to face the beginning of the 2025 season on the IL thanks to an ongoing shoulder issue that continues to nag him. Luckily, the Phils still have newly-acquired closer Jordan Romano, in addition to Orion Kerkering and Jose Alvarado assuming the roles of “setup” in Strahm’s absence. They also have Tanner Banks, whom they acquired last year by the trade deadline, and the struggling starter turned successful middle reliever Taijuan Walker in the pen, especially now that the Phils finally found their fifth starter in former Marlins southpaw, Jesús Luzardo in an offseason trade that sent two prospects to Miami for Luzardo. On paper, this bullpen doesn’t sound terrible; however, with eight other spots potentially being filled by young pitchers, one more reliable veteran pitcher is needed. The Phillies have one of the most feared pitching staffs in baseball, but the backend of this staff leaves something to be desired for a lot of fans, especially if injury plagues the team like it has during Spring Training.

Over the weekend, we got a taste of the team’s starting lineup for this season in their Saturday win over the Blue Jays, as all the usual suspects in addition to the Phils’ most recent cry for corner outfield help was answered by former Minnesota Twin Max Kepler. Out of the entire starting lineup of that game, only one player didn’t get on base in the varying three to four at-bats during the contest, proving that the team is shaping up to be one of the stronger Philly lineups despite not much having changed in the past few seasons since their 2022 World Series appearance. This season is shaping up to be a rather important one for the Phillies who seem to live by the mantra of “always a bridesmaid but never the bride” as they’ve gotten so close to a championship berth, but have fallen short every season since 2022’s loss to the Astros, if this year’s team has a similar result of the 2024 Phillies, chances are that we’ll be looking at a rebuild of sorts, in addition to some big names departing from Philadelphia in 2025 free agency. With the likes of Schwarber and Realmuto at the precipice of free agency after creating a home here in Philly, it’s evident that this season is truly going to determine whether or not they’ll remain in the red and white pinstripes they’ve been dawning the past few seasons. At this point, it’s up to the players and coaches to bring the 2025 World Series trophy back to Philly because they have come close for too long to continue falling up short, and a lot of these players many of us fans have come to know and love could very well not be here later this season by the trade deadline or next year depending on how this season plays out. With several key players’ careers (both here in Philly and the MLB at large) hanging in the balance, it’s no surprise that these 2025 Phillies will be playing with every ounce of passion they have for this team and the city in hopes of bringing another championship to the City of Brotherly Love.