Awesome News: At last, the Phillies have Revealed their Intriguing Starting lineup for the 2024 Season.

The Philadelphia Phillies were one win away from winning their second National League pennant in a row. While the starting rotation was not the primary reason for the team’s failure, it does not appear to be in the best shape going into the 2023 summer.

Aaron Nola, despite having a subpar year, is now a free agent after declining his qualifying offer. Anything can happen, but the chances of him returning seem remote at this time.

Philadelphia must find a Nola replacement to compliment Zack Wheeler at the front of the rotation, while also building a strong enough back end so the team isn’t relying on the bullpen to record so many outs in playoff games.

Fantasy Phillies starting lineup for the 2024 season

There’s a slim probability that this fantasy rotation will come true, but it’s not out of the question. The Phillies would have the highest chance of winning in 2024 if they had the finest rotation in the game.

Ace: Zack Wheeler

Zack Wheeler has been and will continue to be the team’s ace, regardless of who they sign or trade for. He’s developed into one of the best pitchers in recent Phillies history, as well as one of the best postseason pitchers of all time.

Wheeler wasn’t as dominant in the regular season as he had been in previous years, but he still made 32 starts, pitched 192 innings, and topped all MLB pitchers with 5.9 fWAR. Even though the ERA was slightly higher than usual, this was a very successful season. Wheeler even added a Gold Glove to his collection, which he had never won before.

The Phillies’ ace pitched brilliantly in the postseason, allowing two runs or fewer in all five appearances and having a 1.95 ERA. His 1 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen were not only the first innings he had thrown in the major leagues, but they also gave Philadelphia a chance to win the game against Arizona. They did not, but Wheeler gave them every opportunity.

Wheeler is 33 years old, yet he is still one of the finest pitchers in the National League. We can only speculate about his future as he reaches the final year of his contract. For the time being, let’s get psyched for Wheeler’s next 30+ starts and 180+ innings (plus postseason success) in 2024.

No. 2: Corbin Burnes

Corbin Burnes is the first external name on this list. Is a Burnes trade a possibility? Most likely not. Despite this, it’s difficult to imagine a dream rotation without Burnes.

A key fault in a Philadelphia trade for Burnes could prevent the deal from being completed. He’s in his final year as a member of the team. Normally, that wouldn’t be an issue for a Phillies team that hasn’t been afraid to spend money, but with Wheeler’s deal also expiring, there’s a lot of uncertainty at the top of this rotation. It remains to be seen whether the Phillies will want to cope with it.

Burnes should be a part of the rotation if they just want to field the greatest rotation in 2024. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Brewers appear to be seeking to become sellers (subscription required) this offseason, and Burnes might be a big part of that.

The Phillies would be acquiring one of the best pitchers in baseball if they acquired Burnes to replace Aaron Nola. He has proven to be tough in previous years and is still just shy of 30. Due to his contract status, he’s a player the Phillies could acquire for relatively cheap (cheap for a player of Burnes’ caliber) and perhaps extend to a longer-term deal to head their rotation for years to come. The best part? He’s already been linked to the Philadelphia Phillies.

No. 3: Yoshinobu Yamamoto

This offseason, the Phillies plan to sign a frontline starter. That is almost certainly true at this point. It remains to be seen whether they bring back Nola or look for a different starter. But we do know that Zack Wheeler will not be the lone star in this lineup.

Burnes may be a little idealistic, but the Phillies acquiring Yoshinobu Yamamoto is not. Outside of Shohei Ohtani, this right-hander is probably Japan’s biggest star coming to Major League Baseball. He’s accomplished monumental things in Japan while still being in his prime.

Yamamoto has won Japan’s Cy Young Award for the last three seasons in a row. He has a 1.21 ERA in 23 starts and 164 innings pitched for the Orix Buffaloes this season. He ended his season by striking out 14 batters in nine innings in Game 6 of the Japan Series to force a Game 7.

While Yamamoto’s numbers will most likely be lower than they were in Japan, he fits the criteria of a frontline starter. He was far superior to Mets star Kodai Senga, who had a fantastic first season in North America.

The nicest thing about Yamamoto is that he is only 25 years old. The majority of free agents, including Aaron Nola, are in their 30s or older. Even if the Phillies give him seven or eight years, he’ll still be in his peak by the time his contract expires. The addition of Burnes, who is only expected to make roughly $15 million in 2024, provides the Phillies with the financial flexibility to sign a top free agent pitcher like Yamamoto.

No. 4: Ranger Suárez

As fun as it would be to add another top-end free agent starter to the fold, that’d be completely unrealistic. Plus, you really can’t go wrong with Ranger Suárez as a fourth starter. Since being inserted into the rotation full-time at the end of the 2021 season, the southpaw has emerged as a legitimate mid-rotation arm.

This past season, he dealt with injuries, but when healthy was mainly effective. He had a 4.18 ERA in 22 starts and 125 innings pitched. He went at least five innings in all but four of his starts and allowed three runs or fewer in 15 of the 22 outings. Most of the time, he was good for at least five innings allowing three runs or fewer, which, in other words, gives this team a chance to win.

As he did last season, Suárez took his game to another level in the postseason, posting a 1.93 ERA in his four starts as the Phillies third starter. He’s shown value both in the rotation and out of the bullpen in the postseason, which helps a lot.

Having Suárez as a fourth starter would be a luxury not many teams in the league have. While he’ll likely be the team’s third starter, it’s always fun to dream.

No. 5: Taijuan Walker

Taijuan Walker’s first season in Philadelphia had its highs and lows. To begin the season, he was practically unusable. A 6.53 ERA through his nine starts had Dave Dombrowski regretting the signing early. After a clunker in San Francisco, the right-hander turned his season around by posting a 2.74 ERA in his next 14 outings, pitching like an All-Star.

Walker struggled in his final eight starts of the season, which resulted in him not only being dropped from their postseason rotation, but also not appearing in a single playoff game throughout their run to the NLCS. No Phillies fan expected Cristopher Sánchez to start over him at the start of the season.

While one could argue that Sánchez should be in this rotation over Walker, I believe that trusting the seasoned right-hander makes the most sense. If the team signs Yamamoto, having Sánchez be the team’s sixth starter or operate in a swingman role that can pitch out of the bullpen and start games would provide Rob Thomson some more flexibility Walker has never provided.

The Phillies undoubtedly hope Walker can be more consistent in 2024, and if he struggles to get out to a good start in this ideal rotation, Sánchez is ready to step in.