With the 2025 MLB playoff schedule set, the Philadelphia Phillies will be the National League’s second seed.
The Phillies will receive a first-round bye and begin their playoff adventure in the National League Division Series.
With the success of wild card teams in recent years, there has been some debate about whether first-round byes are a benefit or disadvantage for teams. Following Sunday’s regular-season finale, Phillies star shortstop Trea Turner gave a clear statement regarding the first-round bye debate.
Trea Turner Sends Blunt Message
Since the MLB modified the wild card model in 2022, three wild card clubs have made the playoffs, and their performance has risen. In the past three years, five wild card teams have advanced to the championship series or higher.
In 2024, the New York Mets were the No. 6 seed and advanced to the NLCS. In 2023, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers were wild card teams that advanced to the World Series, whereas the San Diego Padres and Phillies were wild card teams that met in the National League Championship Series in 2022.
All of this begs the question: is earning a first-round bye genuinely beneficial? Sure, the clubs have a few days off to recover, rest, and prepare for the Division Series.
However, the team they face may be coming off a wild card series victory, while the first-round bye team may be rusty. The playoffs are all about who is the hottest, which might work against the first-round bye club.
When reporters approached Turner about this on Sunday afternoon, he had a fairly frank reaction.
“I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face; it’s simply an excuse in one form or another. Turner stated, “You’ve got to show up and win.” “I believe Houston has received a bye for whatever many years and has advanced to the (Championship Series) for however many years. “So, you either win or lose.”
Turner was not a member of the Phillies club that advanced from the wild card to the World Series in 2022. He came in Philadelphia the next year and played for the 2024 team, which was eliminated in the first round despite receiving a first-round bye.
The Phillies’ great shortstop understands that every play matters in the postseason, as do Philadelphia’s expectations for the 2025 postseason.
He’s not buying into any of the first-round bye talk and believes the Phillies just need to get the job done.
The Phillies’ 2025 playoff journey will begin on Saturday, October 4, against the winner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds.
