March 31, 2026
The Phillies are struggling to start the year. It's been less than a week. The season is long. They'll probably be fine.
But one has to wonder whether they made all of the right decisions when it came to roster retention this past offseason. They let some big names walk, and elected to go in different directions in the outfield and bullpen.
Where did some of these former Phillies end up? How are they doing to start their seasons?
Here's a quick look at some recent former Phillies:
Ranger Suárez, Red Sox
The biggest ticket player the Phillies lost this offseason was Suárez, whom the team had no room for in the stacked starting rotation. Or in the budget. The lefty inked a deal in Boston and made his debut this week — a forgetful one. He allowed four runs in 4.1 innings on 76 pitches, with his velocity shy of 93 MPH all night. He gave up two homers to the Astros in Houston, a place he won in the World Series a few years ago.
Nick Castellanos, Padres
Casty has had a slow start in southern California, tallying just one hit in nine at bats. The Phillies' current stock of outfielders has actually hit pretty well to start the year, specifically Brandon Marsh and Justin Crawford. It's worth noting that Castellanos is playing first base for the Padres.
Harrison Bader, Giants
Many fans were upset to see Bader walk and sign a reasonable deal with San Francisco. Bader has a solo homer and a single in four games as he's also off to a slow start.
Jordan Romano, Angels
After having one of the worst seasons in recent memory for a Phillies reliever, Romano found a new job with the Angels and he's had a dream last few weeks. In spring training, the righty allowed just one run and had a 1.50 ERA as he warmed up for the season. In his first two appearances in LA, Romano has posted two hitless performances, securing a save. It turns out he needed a change of scenery. Meanwhile, the Phillies' bullpen struggled in its first four games this season.
Joe Ross, Diamondbacks
Ross didn't make it through the season with the Phillies last year and he might have some issues doing it with the D'backs after an atrocious Monday. Ross retired only two batters and let six Dodgers cross the plate in a brutal second outing of the year.
Mick Abel, Twins
Abel is worth including here as he was once thought of as a future rotation piece who was flipped in the Jhoan Duran trade last summer. Abel went 1-2 with a 8.36 ERA in four games for Minnesota, and hasn't looked much better in his first start for the team this year. He allowed five runs on eight hits and didn't make it through the fourth inning against Baltimore Sunday.
Walker Buehler, Padres
Though only briefly a Phillie, many fans were hopeful Buehler would return for 2026 after he was light's out during his short stint in red pinstripes. The Phils liked what they had by way of rotation depth and Buehler went to San Diego. His first start of the year came on Monday and he gave up three runs and seven base-runners but kept his team in the game though four innings.
Weston Wilson, Orioles
The Phillies former depth outfielder found a job with Baltimore, though the 31-year-old is currently grinding in the minors in Triple-A.
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