Roundtable: Which new Phillie will have the biggest impact in 2025?

Jordan Romano, Jesús Luzardo, Max Kepler or Joe Ross: Which new Phillies offseason acquisition will have the biggest impact in 2025?

Phillies Nation readers can weigh in down below. Here are our own thoughts:

Ty Daubert — Editorial Director — Jesús Luzardo

With a roster that will look quite similar to the way it did in 2024, the Phillies made their best run at an impact addition when they traded for Luzardo this winter. He showed two years ago with the Marlins that he can pitch like one of the better starters in the sport, and that ability makes Luzardo more exciting than any other offseason acquisition the team made.

Of course, he struggled to stay healthy last season and will need to prove he can remain on the field in 2025, but the upside is obvious. Luzardo has the chance to boost a Phillies rotation that was already one of the best units in the major leagues as the club tries to ride its staff to a World Series.

Bailey Digh — Staff Writer — Jordan Romano

Romano is coming off a down year. Due to injury, he appeared in 15 games, posting a 6.59 ERA. He’s healthy now. The right-hander returning to form would go a long way in keeping the Phillies bullpen one of the best in baseball.

Romano was a two-time All-Star between 2021 and 2023. During that time, he recorded 95 saves, pitched to the tune of a 2.37 ERA and posted a 3.8 WAR. Romano also had a 30.3% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate between ’21 and ’23.

Romano returning to form could mean he becomes the Phillies’ closer. It could mean he fills Jeff Hoffman’s old role, coming into the stickiest of situations, no matter the inning. The former feels more likely.

The bet here is not only does Romano become the ninth-inning guy for Rob Thomson, freeing up Orion Kerkering to fill the Hoffman role, but those two thrive in those roles.

Romano will be a lockdown closer again. Kerkering, one the better relievers in baseball a season ago, will become the new Hoffman. Those two would free up everyone else to do their jobs, allowing the Phillies bullpen to retain its status as one of the best in the majors.

The trickle-down effect of Romano being really good again will be huge, meaning his signing will be the most impactful of the Phillies’ offseason moves.

Nathan Ackerman — Staff Writer — Jesus Luzardo

Of the four, Luzardo is clearly the best player. He was a top-half-of-the-rotation starter for two years before injuries sank last season, and at 27 for this entire regular season, he should be just entering his prime, while the other three will be 32 at season’s end.

You could argue his impact will be curtailed by a lack of positional value because the Phillies already had an elite starting rotation without him. I’d disagree. Another great season from Luzardo would give the Phillies either another weapon out of the bullpen in October (probably Ranger Suárez?) or a cushion to withstand an injury or underperformance elsewhere in the rotation come postseason time.

Luzardo also helps the Phillies avoid the fifth-spot woes they had last year, because March-September matter, too. He’s the best player of the bunch, might indirectly help the bullpen almost as much as Romano and Ross will, and turns a strength into a super-strength that could help push them over the top.

Destiny Lugardo — Site Director — Max Kepler

I hate to make this into a WAR to dollars argument, but here’s the thing with Kepler: Even in down years when he’s hurt and not at his best at the plate, he produces around one win above replacement per season. Teams on average pay around $8 million for a win on the free agent market. The Phillies gave him $10 million.

That’s the floor. The Phillies are betting that there is a higher ceiling than what he has shown in his last few years with Minnesota. Kepler and hitting coach Kevin Long have already gone to work on swing changes that he seems optimistic about. He also seems energized at the idea of playing in Philadelphia after spending nearly half of his life in the Twins organization.  

The best case scenario is that Kepler is this year’s version of Jurickson Profar. Signed to a one-year, $2 million deal by the San Diego Padres last offseason, Profar changed his stance, added a leg kick and became the hitter he was supposed to be when he was a top prospect a decade ago. 

This is not impossible. Kepler could have the kind of season that makes the Phillies at least contemplate giving him the qualifying offer at the end of the year.

Even if he doesn’t pull off the Profar breakout, he does have the potential to hit 20+ home runs and run a walk rate hovering around 10%. That’s pretty valuable if the expectation is that he’ll hit near the bottom of the order.