The Philadelphia Phillies are due for a new uniform. That appears to be in the plans for 2024, with a potential City Connect jersey on the horizon.
According to Tim Kelly of Phillies Nation, Philadelphia will not bring back their red-top uniforms next season. Nike, the MLB's uniform provider, has a "4+1" rule, meaning teams will only receive four uniform colors each season — plus a fifth, but only if the fifth is a City Connect uniform.
The Phillies already have the white pinstripes, the road grays, the powder blues, and the cream alternates in their wardrobe lineup. In order to receive a City Connect for 2024, as speculated, one color combination had to go. Thus, the red uniforms are no more.
Philadelphia Phillies could get new City Connect uniforms in 2024 season
As Kelly notes in his report, the Phillies have developed a habit of wearing the red uniforms in spring training. Over the last few years, Philadelphia has deployed its red uniforms in a variety of regular season situations as well — both on the road and at home. That said, if we are talking solely about aesthetic value, it's difficult to argue with the decision here.
There's no getting rid of the pinstripes or the grays. The powder blues are stone-cold classics. Untouchable. The creams are less beloved, but almost equally gorgeous. There is some contention about the creams, but Bryce Harper settled that debate already.
"The creams [are my favorite Phillies uniform]. I think it's just the cleanest one we've got. I know the younger crowd kind of likes the blue a little bit. But yeah, I think a lot of us in here really like the cream uniforms."
So, the creams are sticking. The reds never looked particularly great, which is a common issue in Philadelphia sports. The Sixers' worst uniforms are the reds, by a wide margin. The NBA has experienced mixed success with special, city-specific uniforms lately, but the MLB's City Connect uniforms tend to hit.
You will never convince me that these San Diego Padres threads don't belong in the rotation permanently.
Or the orange-turquiose iteration from the Miami Marlins? More, please.
Baseball is a sport rooted in tradition. It's important to honor those traditions — the powder blues are off-limits, completely — but it's also fun to try new things. There's no harm in a fresh look to spice up the wardrobe for the occasional road game. With the pinstripes, blues, and cream uniforms all dedicated to home games, Philadelphia will need another road uniform to alternate with the grays.
Now, it's up to Nike to deliver a quality product.
