The Philadelphia Phillies fell short of reaching the World Series in 2024. The team could look to be aggressive in their approach to free agency in order to make a deeper run in 2025.
While listing landing spots for Max Scherzer in free agency, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller named the Phillies as a destination for Scherzer this winter.
"There's no salary cap in MLB, and the Phillies can spend as much as they please to ensure they win a World Series before their core of mid-30s stars age out of their prime," wrote Miller. "However, they likely would want to first unload Taijuan Walker (who's owed $18 million in each of 2025 and 2026) to justify bringing in Scherzer."
Scherzer is a three-time Cy Young Award winner and an eight-time All-Star. He made just nine starts in 2024 with a 3.95 ERA. Scherzer is looking to bounce back strong and potentially win another World Series. He could reunite with former teammates Bryce Harper and Trea Turner in 2025.
The Phillies already have a strong rotation with Aaron Nola, Zach Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez. Dumping Taijuan Walker's contract to get Scherzer would be a solid move. Spotrac projects Scherzer to sign a one-year, $15.2 million deal this winter.
"What a star-studded rotation that would be, though. All-Star Ranger Suárez, pitching in his contract year, would maybe be the No. 5 starter," wrote Miller.
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