Ranger Suarez's price tag could force the Phillies' hand in free agency

The Philadelphia Phillies enter the offseason with loads of questions. They are in danger of losing J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Max Kepler, Jordan Romano, David Robertson, Tim Mayza, Lou Trivino, Walker Buehler, and Ranger Suarez. 

Philadelphia will not be able to retain all of them, but they will take their shot at retaining a few. Most notably, they would love for Schwarber and Suarez to return, but they are expected to draw quite the interest over the winter. 

Schwarber will likely be the priority for multiple teams during the offseason, but so will Suarez. He will be one of the top pitchers on the open market, which could hurt the Phillies' chances of retaining either of them. 

Ranger Suarez's price tag could force the Phillies' hand in free agency

Suarez could operate as an ace pitcher for several teams across the MLB. He is coming off a season where he posted a 12-8 record with a 3.20 ERA across 157.1 innings of work. 

According to team insider Matt Gelb, the front office may not view Suarez as highly as some other teams will this winter. 

"It's not as though the Phillies have no appetite to retain Suarez. But given the lack of quality starting pitchers on the free-agent market, he could score a deal that pays him like a No. 2 starter. The Phillies might view Suarez as more of a No. 3/4 type," said Gelb. "Suarez might just be the odd man out because the Phillies want to prioritize other places on the roster."

This may not be the news that Phillies fans want to hear, but it is news they may have to brace themselves for. Suarez could easily be scooped up by another team that is willing to pay more for his services.

More Phillies news:

• Phillies' Kyle Schwarber beats out Shohei Ohtani for NL MLBPA Outstanding Player Award
• Phillies named as a fit to retain All-Star power hitter Kyle Schwarber
• Phillies named as potential landing spot for All-Star infielder Alex Bregman
• Phillies deemed a potential landing spot for star free agent Kyle Tucker
• Tigers and Phillies named 'Best Fits' for Bo Bichette after $189 million contract prediction