Philadelphia Phillies right fielder — and team sage — Nick Castellanos already gave his deep thoughts of the upcoming season when spring training began last month. He said the Phils have “less pressure” going into 2025 after the Mets humbled them in the NLDS last October, followed by a ho-hum offseason that saw Philly add very few pieces.

Castellanos pondered to the local beat writers, "So, if we lose, you guys look smart, which is dope, right? But then if we win, it’s like a happy surprise.” And so with the Phillies kicking off their season at the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, that’s actually the question to consider: Do the Phils have enough this year to make the happy surprise happen? Let’s dig in:

The Phils’ off-season tracked an obvious trend, acquiring players (Max Kepler, Jordan Romano and Jesús Luzardo) who hope to rebound after injury-marred 2024 seasons. Both Kepler and Romano were signed to one-year “prove-it” deals.

Kepler, a career right fielder who flashes power when/if healthy, shifts over to start in left field, a position he’s never played in his big-league career prior to this year. Great news for the Phils: Kepler looks back to full health this spring, batting .359 with three HRs.

Romano, a lights-out closer with the Blue Jays from 2021-23, wants the same role as a Phillie. Elbow issues limited Romano to 13⅔ innings last year but he looks healthy this spring training after not yielding a run in 8⅔ innings.

In the biggest moment of their offseason, the Phillies traded prospect Starlyn Caba to the Marlins for Luzardo, whose ace-level stuff bottomed out in ’24 due to elbow and back woes. Similar to Kepler and Romano, the lefty Luzardo looks healthy again, showcasing his sizzling 97-mph fastball, though his Grapefruit League ERA was an ugly 9.49.

The under-the-radar signing of swingman Joe Ross gives the pitching staff extra flexibility. Ross can fill in as a spot starter or pitch in relief. As a reliever last season, Ross dominated with a 1.67 ERA in 27 innings.

Go back to 2011 to the vaunted Four Aces, who led the Phillies to a franchise-record 102 wins. That’s where the hopes and dreams live with the 2025 Phils, who potentially have five aces in Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez and Luzardo.

Suarez’s cranky back will nix a couple early starts but, according to manager Rob Thomson, he should return before April ends. Until then, it’s Taijuan Walker and a whole lot of heartburn.

Later this summer, the rotation could get a sixth ace in Andrew Painter, the team’s most buzz-worthy prospect since Cole Hamels in 2006. The team plans to debut Painter in July after a successful return (so far) from Tommy John surgery that knocked out his past two seasons. Painter’s impact could be massive. His four-pitch mix — fronted by a 99-mph fastball — has earned him comps to future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. Check out Painter throwing darts in the '24 AFL:

And when Painter arrives, Suarez, who has excelled as a reliever, could get bumped to a relief role, which would tighten up one of the team’s weaker units, the bullpen (more on that in a bit).

Painter isn’t the only impactful Phillies rookie who could debut in 2025. For the first time in years, the Phils have multiple prospects — including Justin Crawford and Aiden Miller — who could provide a boost at some point this season.

Here’s something else that could go right: The young-ish guys — Alex Bohm, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh — put together productive seasons from start to finish. All three last year regressed in one way or the other. It was Stott’s offensive downturn, possibly due to an injury that he says is healed. It was Marsh’s struggles against left-handed pitching but Thomson believes Marsh will improve against lefties this year. And it was Bohm’s pouting that allegedly led to his benching in the NLDS, but Thomson praised Bohm’s attitude early in camp.

If the trio steps up — and takes the pressure off the aging nucleus — then the Phillies’ offense will have one of the deepest lineups, almost guaranteeing a postseason appearance.

It’s the inverse of the above equation: If the season tanks, it’s probably because disaster struck the rotation. But let’s examine other potential weaknesses that are looming, most notably the bullpen.

The relief corps is thin after losing two late-inning power-arms — Carlos Estevez (Royals) and Trevor Hoffman (Blue Jays). And now reliable reliever Matt Strahm’s health is in question after he endured a sore shoulder throughout camp.

So the Phillies will dump most of the load on Romano, who’s more of a question mark than answer at this point; Jose Alvarado, who looks to bounce back from a bumpy 2024; and Orion Kerkering, whom the team hopes can handle higher leverage spots.

Another looming bugaboo: Father Time, which Rocky says is undefeated. All the team’s stars are north of 30 — Bryce Harper (32), Trea Turner (31), Castellanos (33), Kyle Schwarber (32), J.T. Realmuto (34), Wheeler (34) and Nola (31).

Yes, it’s just a fact, older teams suffer more injuries, and, even if the team stays healthy, it’s only a matter of time that the aging core’s production starts slipping.

Let’s start with a question: Will this group of Phillies finally get their ring? Impossible to answer because even near-perfect baseball teams can crumble in October.

A more realistic question: Can Philly get four Red Octobers in a row? Almost certainly, pending the good health of the rotation. And because of the rookie reinforcements that will arrive later this summer, the talent pool is deeper than any other Phils’ team in recent years. In fact, they have so much talent that they can beat any MLB team, even the Dodgers, in a seven-game series.

Our prediction: Phillies beat L.A. in the NLCS. But will they win the World Series? Maybe — just maybe — Castellanos is right, that the team is ready for a happy surprise that will lead to a parade down Broad Street.