The Phillies managed to climb out of the cellar to an extent in 2016, going from the worst record in all of baseball in 2015 to merely the eighth-worst last year at 71-91. They are expected to do even better in 2017 thanks to the acquisitions they made this offseason.
Baseball Prospectus’s PECOTA projection system expects the Phils to get a better record in 2017, but at the same time finish worse in the standings. They project the team to make a three-win improvement and finish 74-88, worst in the NL East and tied for second-worst in the National League.