Ranger Suárez is reportedly headed to Boston. How do you feel about it?

It wasn’t unexpected, but the news of Ranger Suárez’ departure from Philadelphia still came with a touch of somberness. Yesterday it was reported that the lefty agreed to a five year, $130M contract with the Boston Red Sox.

Suárez is leaving the only organization he’s ever known in the Phillies, as he signed with the club in 2012 as a sixteen-year-old international free agent out of Venezuela for a sum of $25,000. He of course grew to be one of the Phillies’ finest developmental successes, as Suárez bucked conventional wisdom by succeeding without standout stuff and relying on pinpoint command and pitching expertise. Suárez made his MLB debut in 2018 and officially joined the starting rotation mid-way through 2021 after previously being used as a reliever. He appeared in 187 games with the Phillies across eight seasons, finishing with a 53-37 record and a 3.38 ERA.

But what will endear Suárez forever in Philadelphia will be his performance in the postseason. He appeared in 11 postseason games with Philadelphia, posting a 1.48 ERA that is seventh best in the modern era among pitchers to pitch the same amount or more innings as Suárez’ 42.2. His ability to always ooze calm, collected coolness was on full display in October, allowing him to deliver legendary performances, perhaps none more memorable than his two-pitch save that sent the Phillies to the World Series in 2022.

The Phillies were never expected to retain Suárez however, as they have already allocated a large amount of money to their rotation, including big deals to Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola as well as a smaller yet extremely team-friendly deal for Cristopher Sánchez. That doesn’t include last season’s trade for Jesús Luzardo, who is entering the last year of his team control, and the impending debut of top prospect Andrew Painter. It was widely assumed that Suárez would be the odd man out despite his past success, as his declining velocity and previous injuries cast some doubt over how he will age as he enters his thirties. But allowing Suárez to walk leaves the Phillies rotation depth perilous, and it is now essentially imperative to re-sign Luzardo if the team wants to continue to lean on its strength in the future.

It’s sad to see Ranger Suárez go, as he was a terrific Phillie who played a key role in a pennant winning team. He now heads to Boston and the American League to try and finish the job his Phillies teams couldn’t in capturing a World Series. But the Red Sox are probably one of the more palatable options for Suárez’ new team, especially as he was previously connected to NL East rivals the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.

So, how do you feel about Ranger Suárez heading to Boston?