The Philadelphia Phillies have not gotten off to the start they hoped for in the 2025 season. They had an early-season series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers that turned many heads. However, the Phillies have only one series win in their last five and are now 13-12 on the season. The Phillies have multiple reasons for their struggles, including inconsistent hitting, a struggling bullpen, and a few underperforming starters. Still, one MLB analyst thinks the Phillies are not as far behind the Mets as last series has shown.
MLB Analyst Thinks Phillies are Close to Mets
The Mets are playing great baseball right now, and the Phillies are not; that is the best way to summarize the recent sweep we saw. But that does not mean the Phillies cannot compete with the Mets for the division title and beat them in future series. Trevor Plouffe said on “Baseball Today, “I don’t think the Mets are that much better than the Phillies…I don’t think there’s that much, if I’m really being honest. There’s not much separating these two teams; I would love to see this happen in the playoffs.”
Last season, the Phillies and Mets played in the NLDS in a series that the Mets won in four games. The Phillies’ struggles at Citi Field have been well-documented, and that’s something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
With how strong the NL West has looked this season, there may not be many wild-card spots available in the NL. That means it may come down to winning the NL East to get into the postseason.
Phillies Need to Fix a Few Issues
One of the Phillies’ most significant weaknesses has been their bullpen. They haven’t gotten the production from their bullpen that they hoped for, and that looks like a spot where the Phillies need an upgrade. One player who has struggled is Jordan Romano, whom the Phillies signed this offseason with hopes of being their closer.
Romano has thrown 11 games for the Phillies and 9.1 innings across those games. But his numbers are complex to look at. He has given up 15 hits and 14 earned runs with an ERA of 13.50. If he cannot turn his season around, the Phillies could be in serious trouble; they will likely need to make a trade for a new closer and someone they can count on to finish games.
The Phillies are in win-now mode, and now the pressure is on GM Dave Dombrowski to put his team in the best position to succeed this year.