Before you know it, the cherry trees will drop their flowers, the Fourth of July will explode before our eyes and back-to-school shopping will commence. During all that, a very interesting season will play out for the Philadelphia Phillies. Will they live up to the high expectations of a late Octobe r run in the playoffs or fade like leaves on a sycamore tree? Here are predictions from staffers of the MediaNews Group. Rob Parent, Delaware County Times The Phillies return almost all of their position players. They did lose midseason acquisition outfielder Austin Hays, who signed with the Reds. They also lost relievers Jeff Hoffman – a surprising success for two seasons before a disappointing 2024 playoff series – and Carlos Estevez, a trade deadline acquisition who closed down the season stretch. As for key additions, they signed Max Kepler, who in nine full seasons with the Minnesota Twins averaged .237 with a .746 OPS and 161 home runs, to take Hays’ spot in the outfield. The Phillies also acquired left-handed starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo from Miami for a pair of prospects. He had two solid seasons with the Marlins, including a 2023 which saw him go 10-10 with a 3.58 ERA and 208 strikeouts. And with Estevez gone, the Phillies went out and signed 31-year-old former Toronto closer Jordan Romano. Also, former Brewers pitcher Joe Ross was signed to fill the “swing role” that was held by Spencer Turnbull before he went down with a late injury last year. Last season the Phillies won the National League East. They lost 3-1 in games to the New York Mets in NL Divisional Series. While a second straight NL East title is certainly possible, the Phillies had a so-so second half, a terrible playoff season and a relatively quiet offseason that saw them lose out on Juan Soto … to the New York Mets. That doesn’t make the Mets a prohibitive favorite, however. And with Atlanta’s top two players Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider returning at some point before the summer, it looks again like it could be a real three-horses pony ride all season long in the NL East. Figure the Phils to finish it as a wild card, just behind the divisional champion Mets and top WC team, the Braves. Christian DeFranco, NewsMedia Group After going out with a whimper last postseason, the Phillies will bounce back this year by winning the division and making a deep playoff run, culminating in a World Series championship. Their offense will be more balanced, Bryson Stott will have a breakout year, and a bolstered pitching staff will provide stability. Their starting pitchers will go deeper into games than on most teams, hopefully taking some pressure off the bullpen, which will see Orion Kerkering take charge. A healthy Braves squad will be improved and the Mets will take a step back. Bryson Stott is a solid defensive second baseman but will need to hit better this season for the Phillies. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) Jared Montalto, Reading Eagle Record: 85-77Predicted Finish: NLDS exit Why? The Phillies have consistently fallen short over the past three seasons, and I don’t expect that to change this year. Other National League contenders have improved this offseason: the Mets added  Juan Soto, the Dodgers signed Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, and the Braves brought in Jurickson Profar. Winning the NL East with 95 wins, only to fall 3-1 in the NLDS with a team batting average of .186, clearly wasn’t enough of a wake-up call to make a big-time signing. I believe they’ll be one of the better teams in the regular season but won’t have enough when it counts the most, as much as I want to be positive and optimistic. Bruce Adams, Daily Local of West Chester Strength up the middle. The last Phillies world championship team (2008) had it. The keystone combination of Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins were strong both offensively and defensively, and centerfielder Shane Victorino and catcher Carlos Ruiz were solid players both on offense and defense. While the 2025 Phillies have good power at the corner positions, and four solid starting pitchers, they are not strong up the middle. JT Realmuto is an aging catcher, Trea Turner is not strong defensively at shortstop, Bryson Stott is not an offensive force, and neither is centerfielder Johan Rojas. The Phils are an aging team, and hopefully an influx of young talent from their farm system will give them a September boost. Last year, the Phillies won 95 games, which was a little more than expected given the number of runs they scored versus runs given up. Without any huge changes in the team’s makeup in the offseason I see them winning 92 games this season, which should get them into the playoffs and probably win the National League East. The $64,000 question: will the Phillies make it to the World Series? Well. … in a short series during the postseason, anything can happen, but I’ll be surprised if the Dodgers don’t make it to the World Series again. Antonio Perez, Reading Eagles Philadelphia Phillies record: 92-70, NLCS appearance. The Philadelphia Phillies are running back practically the same roster from their two previous seasons. This past year, the regular season could be considered a success. Ninety-five wins and top ten in major stats like home runs, batting average, and RBI are exactly where you would expect a group like this to be. However, their fall to the Mets in the NLDS should be an eye opener for this squad. After making the World Series in 2022 and being on the doorstep again in 2023, this felt like a team that slowly began to let the team on paper play instead of the actual players. With reports such as J.T. Realmuto willing to test outfield and Brandon Marsh earning the chance to be an everyday centerfielder, this team has a sense of motivation. They are confident in the group that they have, but they have to bring it onto the field. The Phillies could beat anyone in a playoff series, hypothetically. But with the Dodgers getting the monkey off their back in the fall, they could be playing even looser and more confident than this Phillies squad. J.T. Realmuto is again the main catcher for the Phillies. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) Tom Housenick, The Morning Call Aaron Nola, who turns 32 this spring, has made has 32 consecutive starts in at least six consecutive, non-Covid seasons. Zack Wheeler turns 35 this spring and is coming off his best season. Trea Turner is 33 in early summer. Bryce Harper will be 33 by the Major League Baseball post-season rolls around. J.T. Realmuto just turned 34. The Phillies’ core of stars on the back end of their prime. The time to win is 2025. All five has stellar years left in them, but the surrounding cast will determine if club has another World Series in it. Matt Strahm, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez must be solid on the mound. The outfield of Brandon Marsh, Nick Castellanos, Johan Rohas and Max Kepler must be consistently productive on offense. And, perhaps most importantly, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott must play like All-Stars. They must have fewer and shorter slumps at the plate. The Phillies can win the NL East, even with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets loaded with talent. They can win the National League pennant, even with many already handing it to the Dodgers, who have spent a ridiculous amount of money to sign their star players. but it will take everything to align for it to be a magical season at Citizens Bank Park: Star players to produce; role players to deliver; and budding stars to play like stars. My prediction: The Phillies will win more than 90 games and make the playoffs but, barring a huge in-season signing and luck (i.e. injuries to star players on other teams) they will fall short of their first World Series win since 2008. Rich Scarcella, Reading Eagle The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the game’s best pitching rotations and one of the deepest lineups, but they will struggle to repeat as National League East champions. Why? Because the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets are better than they were last season. The Phillies also are better with the addition of Max Kepler and Jesus Luzardo. They need Bryson Stott to rebound from a subpar 2024, Trea Turner to hit all year like he did in the first half of last season, Brandon Marsh to succeed against left-handers, the starting pitchers to stay healthy and the bullpen to be improved. Whether it’s as division champs or not, the Phillies will make the playoffs. But with the Los Angeles Dodgers loaded again, getting to the World Series will be a longshot. Tom DeSchriver, Regional Pa. Sports Editor The bottom line with the Phillies is that Dave Dombrowski, the brain-trust of the Phillies day-to-day personnel, believes that last year was a one-off. He didn’t make any major off-season moves because he has faith in the talent he’s assembled. So, fans and ‘experts’ can analyze the players all the want, but the guy to take a real good look at is Dombrowski. He obviously believes in this team and thinks the players are good enough to compete for a National League title. He is certainly right in that belief. Unlike the Dodgers or the Mets, who play in a market that is “really” big, they don’t have the crazed fans that we have in Philly. So, the Phillies need to tap into that energy and ride it through the good and bad of a long season. Come late September, Dombrowski’s instincts, manager Rob Thomson’s even hand and the talent on board, which hasn’t been in sync since 2022, will all come together. Get ready for another parade. Only this time the Phantic will waddle down the Ben Franklin Parkway instead of Swoop preening toward the Art Museum.         ...read more read less