ESPN Ranks Philadelphia Phillies Starting Rotation No. 2 in MLB

The Philadelphia Phillies already had one of the top starting rotations in baseball during the 2024 season and added lefty starter Jesús Luzardo in a Dec 22 trade with the Marlins.

Luzardo came over to Philadelphia in exchange for prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd.

He joins Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, and Cristopher Sanchez, who anchored the starting rotation for much of last season, and Luzardo provides Philadelphia with one of the deepest rotations in the league.

Entering the new year, Philadelhia has a starting pitcher group of:

RHP Zack Wheeler
RHP Aaron Nola
LHP Cristopher Sanchez
LHP Ranger Suárez
LHP Jesús Luzardo

Luzardo replaces a No. 5 spot in the Phillies rotation that featured guys like Tyler Gilbert, Taijuan Walker, Spencer Turnbull, Tyler Phillips, Kolby Allard, Michael Mercado, and Seth Johnson all taking turns in that fifth starter spot.

Add in the possible debut of rookie Andrew Painter, who had a terrific Arizona Fall League, posting a 2.30 ERA and had 18 strikeouts across 15 2/3 innings in six total starts, as an option after the All-Star break.

The team also signed swingman Joe Ross to a one-year, $4 million contract from the Brewers.  He made 10 starts in 25 appearances last season in Milwaukee, posting a 3.77 ERA, and 1.37 WHIP, and struck out 66 in 74 innings, coming back from Tommy John Surgery.

The Phillies have much more depth in their rotation this season.

So where does the Phillies starting rotation rank ahead of 2025 season?

ESPN.com MLB staff writer Bradford Doolittle posted his list of baseball's top 10 starting rotations, with the Phillies ranking No. 2 overall on his list.

The Phillies match Seattle in most areas and exceed the Mariners in pure rotation star power. This is the case despite a modest innings projection for the talented Painter in his first season coming off an elbow injury.

The one area Seattle edges the Phillies is in hits per nine innings, which isn't a heavily emphasized category, but it matters, especially when everything else is so close.

Last season, the Mariners ranked second in the majors in expected batting average, per Statcast, indicating just how much soft contact Seattle induced. The Phillies finished closer to the middle of the pack. Make no mistake though, this is a deep, dominant starting rotation, potentially the best in the National League.

Philadelphia ranked behind only Seattle, but was ahead of every other staff in MLB, ranking as the top rotation in the National League.

NL East rival, Atlanta ranked No. 3, the World Series champion Dodgers were next at No. 4 with the Yankees, D-Backs, Twins, Rangers, Astros, and Cubs rounding out the top 10.

Is the Phillies pitching depth enough to lead them to a World Series? Pitchers and catchers open on Feb 12.