One of the major goals in 2024 for the Philadelphia Phillies was to win the NL East for the first time since 2011. After a rollercoaster of a year, it turns out their hot streak and early momentum to start off the season was enough to ride out to a division title and the No. 2 seed in the National League.
The ultimate goal was a championship, but winning the division allowed separation and helped avoid the Wild Card round. The Phillies came well short of their goal but look for greater things in 2025.
The Phillies will be under a microscope this coming season with aspirations of a World Series run while retaining a stranglehold of the NL East. The New York Mets inked superstar Juan Soto and the Atlanta Braves look to get their stars Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. back to create a potential three-team division race.
Phillies being picked as the least likely to repeat as division champs is a rude wake-up call
The Phillies have a lot to prove to repeat atop the division and prove to doubters that it wasn’t a fluke. MLB.com recently ranked which teams are most likely to repeat as division winners in 2025, and the Phillies’ spot on the list is certainly a wake-up call.
The job won’t get any easier for the Phillies, and according to MLB.com’s Will Leitch, Philadelphia ranks dead last in possible repeat division winners this coming season:
- Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West)
- Houston Astros (AL West)
- New York Yankees (AL East)
- Milwaukee Brewers (NL Central)
- Cleveland Guardians (AL Central)
- Philadelphia Phillies (NL East)
It’s not the prediction fans were hoping for, but it’s not too off the mark. The Phillies are in a loaded division, and now the Washington Nationals are opening their competitive window in the next year or so, too. The NL East is a powerhouse, and with the Braves decimated with injuries at an absurd rate last year while the Mets played subpar baseball before the All-Star break, the Phillies were able to stay consistent enough to edge out their rivals.
Every division is tough to win year after year, but the Phillies have issues to address. The stumble in each of the last three postseasons is still a major apprehension for this club. There’s no guarantee of another division title with the same club coming off a 95-win season. The Phillies even had early ambition of breaking the single-season win record for a 162-game season in 116 set by the 2001 Seattle Mariners. They closed out May at 40-18, but the skid of a 33-33 record post-All-Star break left the club with too many questions that couldn’t be answered.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski knows that well and has been able to navigate around the luxury tax payroll while still bringing in talent to fend off the mighty Braves and Mets. The Phillies may be ranked last among possible repeat division winners, but their ability to adapt is what got them to the big dance before. They also have some exciting prospects on the way to help give some roster flexibility, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. They just need a better push coming into October to truly see what Philadelphia is all about.
