The Philadelphia Phillies have one thing on their mind come the 2023 MLB season: win the World Series.
The Phillies front office led by President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made some of the most aggressive moves in baseball to help bolster their roster heading into the season.
The additions of shortstop Trea Turner, starter Taijuan Walker, relievers Craig Kimbrel and Gregory Soto made it blatantly clear that Philadelphia wasn’t joking around. They are here to win and the final Wild Card spot is no longer the goal.
However, the National League East got better too. The New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves did not stand pat and rest on their laurels. Justin Verlander is now in the division, perhaps one of the most impactful free agent signings within the division.
That being said, the new scheduling scheme that MLB has implemented means that less divisional games will be played. Each game will hold more weight but schedules across the board will be more equitable. The strength of each division no longer holds as much weight.
Had the Phillies been in the NL Central last year they may have won five-plus more games.
With a stronger rotation filled with depth, a better defensive infield, and a bolstered bullpen, Philadelphia is in prime position to win more games than their 87-win 2022 MLB season.
Taking into account the winter acquisitions, strength of schedule, losses, such as Bryce Harper due to injury, we gave our best shot at a way to early record prediction.
Overall Phillies 2023 Record: 93-69
That record should be good enough to secure at least the first Wild Card spot, but if one of the Braves or Mets falter and the Phillies have everything go right, the division race could be wide open.
More From SI’s Inside The Phillies:
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- Rumored Phillies Free Agent Target Just Opted Out of Contract
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- Phillies Release 2023 Regular Season Schedule
- Picking the Phillies’ All-Time Single Season Lineup
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