June 25, 2024
Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ranger Suarez delivers a pitch in the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Phillies seem to be following Howie Roseman's Eagles playbook with their pitching staff — and why shouldn't they?
For years now, the Eagles have been setting a trend in the NFL, and winning contract negations season after season, by identifying their star players and inking them to contract extensions as early as is humanly possible. Monster contracts handed out by the Birds to Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and others in recent offseasons have aged very well for the franchise, as other star players waiting to hitting the open market typically use the Eagles' contracts as a market-setting number and earn a lot more money.
The Phillies had a scare with Aaron Nola this offseason when he hit free agency — but retained him with a seven-year, $172 million deal. With the best starting pitching staff in baseball, Dave Dombrowski and company are not going to have another close call like that. They extended Zack Wheeler to a three-year extension that begins in 2025, paying him $42 million a year. They did the same with Cris Sanchez, who remains under team control now through 2027 making $22.5 million over that span.
MORE PHILLIES: Phillies, Cristopher Sánchez reach four-year contract extension
There is just one hurler left — Cy Young contender Ranger Suárez who is in the midst of one of the most impressive breakout seasons in recent Phillies history. The lefty is 10-1 with a 1.75 ERA so far though 15 starts. He leads the majors among eligible players in ERA and is third in WAR.
There's no reason to delay a push to keep the 28-year-old in Philly. MLB insider Jim Bowen said just as much on MLB radio this week, after discussing Sanchez' recent new pact:
Jim Bowden has heard that the Phillies are working on a Ranger Suarez extension.
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 23, 2024
Full Audio ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/K5O0zoCkjD
"I've also heard they're working on Ranger Suárez who's a free agent after 2025," Bowden said in the audio above.
Suárez is earning just a hair over $5 million and will have one last year of arbitration in 2025, before hitting free agency in 2026. The Phillies can avoid both by striking a deal with Suárez before next offseason.
His market value in 2026 would be quite high, though he will be close to 30 by then. It will be interesting to see where the two parties meet, though you can surmise it will be somewhere in the nine-figure range, depending on how long the Phillies intend to keep Suarez around.
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