The idea of ​​the Philadelphia Phillies letting Ranger Suarez walk this offseason never made sense to me, and the longer he stays in free agency, the less I’ll understand what the Phillies are thinking at all.

Suarez has been a big part of making the Phillies so good over the past few years.

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He’s an elite left-hander who has shown he can throw in big games, handle postseason pressure and eventually stay healthy in the rotation, but there are some question marks this spring.

These types of weapons are hard to replace, especially for a team expected to play meaningful games in October.

There are a lot of questions about the Phillies’ rotation. Injuries are always a factor and assuming everything breaks down perfectly makes me question it. It would be wrong to let a proven arm like Suarez leave without re-signing him just to bring Andrew Painter to the team, no matter how the front office wanted to win it.

Dave Dombrowski’s track record is even more questionable because he typically wants good players to stick around. Perhaps he is keeping quiet about the noise and is not leaking it. Philly Voice’s Evan Macy believes that could be happening, but added that it’s hard to understand why there haven’t been more connections before.

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“Dave Dombrowski isn’t always outspoken and doesn’t always take action through the media. Even though the Phillies are expected to cross the luxury tax again in 2026, it’s possible he’s staying quiet and considering making an offer. But it’s strange that there’s no connection between the left-hander and his former team, which in theory would help him,” he said. I wrote.

Luxury tax concerns are valid, but if Philadelphia is to seriously compete, they should make room for exactly this type of pitcher. I also highly doubt Suarez is asking for a crazy deal.

If the Phillies really want to move forward, they’d better have a clear replacement and guarantee Painter will be a great player. Otherwise, this move makes no sense at all.

Only time will tell what will happen, but the situation is not good.