3 Phillies who won’t be back next season and where they’ll go
The Philadelphia Phillies’ run to the World Series was improbable. Next season should look different as they try to return to the series.
The Philadelphia Phillies rode the perfect storm to get to the World Series in 2022. The club got hot at the right moment and went with it.
The club’s big free agent acquisitions, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos, joined Bryce Harper to have an epic postseason. You can’t forget about J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm, or the slate of rookies and the way they stepped up.
Pitching had been a concern going into the postseason as fans didn’t know what to expect as they learned Manager Rob Thomson would depend on starters Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, and Zack Wheeler. The remainder of their starters would join the bullpen to become role players.
it does appear they could have used more pitching, though.
While they have an excellent corp of position players, the Phillies will look to bolster their pitching staff going into 2023. The Phillies did learn that some of their role-player bullpen arms were ready for the spotlight in Seranthony Dominguez and Jose Alvardo.
Thomson had a monumental task in taking over the reins of the Phillies after Joe Girardi was fired. The team got hot at precisely the right time and tore through the St Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, and San Diego Padres to face the Houston Astros in the World Series. Just an unbelievable stretch for the team!
The Phillies have several free-agent pitchers, and many will leave as the team looks to upgrade and defend their National League champs status. Let’s look at the Phillies’ free agents who will leave and where they will go.
Noah Syndergaard will go to the St. Louis Cardinals
Thor ended the 2022 season in a better position than he began, getting traded to the Phillies at the trade deadline from the Los Angeles Angels. He pitched 10-10 in 25 games, with 134.2 innings and 95 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.94.
During the postseason, Syndergaard has become the ultimate role-player pitcher for the Phils. In four games this postseason, he’s pitched 8.1 innings with an ERA of 3.24 and eight strikeouts.
While Syndergaard didn’t have much stability in 2022, he made the best of it. By going to the Cardinals, who will begin with changes in the pitching department in 2023, Syndergaard could regain some stability with a good pitching staff mixed with veterans and youngsters.
Thor could be another innings-eating strike thrower the Cardinals will need for the 2023 season.