Philadelphia Phillies 2025-2026 Offseason Wishlist

The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off another wildly successful regular season, but that’s where the accolades end. Sure, they won 96 games and easily secured their second consecutive NL East title. However, those in Philadelphia are only interested in one thing: winning a World Series.

The Phillies had assembled a star-studded veteran core that has gone to the playoffs four years in a row now. Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Zack Wheeler have been the backbone of the roster.

After their run to the World Series in 2022, they haven’t been able to get back there again. It was another bleak postseason finish for the Phillies this October. They’re all getting older, and some of them (Schwarber and Realmuto) aren’t even guaranteed to return in free agency.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and general manager Preston Mattingly still have a window of contention to play with. From what we can gather, Dombrowski will have a payroll similar to the roughly $310 million he operated with in 2025.

This offseason needs to go the right way for the Phillies to field a team that can take advantage of this current group’s ability to get back to the Fall Classic in 2026.

Free Agents

• Kyle Schwarber, DH
• J.T. Realmuto, C
• Ranger Suárez, LHP
• Harrison Bader, OF
• Max Kepler, OF
• Jordan Romano, RHP
• Walker Buehler, RHP
• Tim Mayza, LHP
• David Robertson, RHP
• Lou Trivino, RHP

The biggest names here are obviously Schwarber, Realmuto and Ranger Suárez.

The Phillies have already set Schwarber as their highest priority to re-sign, with Realmuto a close second. Despite their ages (Schwarber will be 33 on Opening Day, and Realmuto will be 35) the Phillies see them as integral to contending with the assembled veteran core.

Although he’s a fan favorite and a career Phillie, Suárez appears to be on his way to signing a long-term deal elsewhere. The Phillies have told us that they can’t afford to re-sign all of their free agents, implying that Suárez is the odd man out.

Dombrowski has also said that they are interested in bringing back Harrison Bader. But after the trade deadline acquisition declined his side of a $10 million mutual option, it’s anyone’s guess whether he fits into their outfield plans.

While Max Kepler salvaged some semblance of success late in the year, overall it was a failed experiment. He didn’t turn out to be the everyday left fielder the Phillies envisioned when they signed him last offseason. He won’t be back.

Right-hander Jordan Romano was supposed to be a late-inning, high-leverage bullpen arm. He was an absolute disaster and will probably be looking at a minor league deal somewhere this winter.

The rest of the pitchers were late-season acquisitions when the Phillies were desperate for help. It’s difficult to see any of them returning.

Top Offseason Priorities

Re-sign Kyle Schwarber

The Phillies are the favorites to sign Schwarber. They want him. He wants them. The only question is if they will pay what his market dictates with plenty of other teams no doubt lining up.

Schwarber is coming off a career year in which he hit 56 home runs with 132 RBIs. He has hit the second-most home runs (187) in the majors over the last four seasons and is now looking at a new deal that could get up to five years and $150 million.

If that seems like a lot for a 33-year-old designated hitter, that’s because it is. He still has elite bat speed, though, and his Baseball Savant page is an impressive sea of red.

But Schwarber offers more than just a bat. His clubhouse leadership is revered up and down the Phillies organization, from Dombrowski to first baseman Bryce Harper to hitting coach Kevin Long.

Speaking of Long, he should give the Phillies yet another edge when Schwarber is weighing his options this winter. With a relationship that dates back to their overlap in Washington in 2021, Schwarber has flourished with Long as his guide over his four seasons in Philadelphia.

Re-sign J.T. Realmuto

As much as the Phillies know that they have to get younger behind the plate, moving on from Realmuto right now isn’t the best course of action.

It’s true that he’s not the same offensive catcher he was just a couple of years ago. He likely never will be again as his age catches up to him. He batted only .257/.315/.384 in 134 games this year, with 12 home runs and 52 RBIs.

However, Realmuto masterfully handles arguably the best starting rotation in baseball. He has the complete trust of his pitchers. He’s also no slouch at controlling the running game, his 1.86-second pop time the best in the majors this year.

Without a clear successor and a threadbare free agent group of backstops, the Phillies are probably looking around at the options knowing they have to re-sign him and come up with an exit strategy later.

A two-year, $32 million deal is realistic, although Realmuto could command up to three years based on the state of major league catching. That could look rough by the time it’s finished, but that’s the price the Phillies will have to pay.

Completely Rebuild the Outfield

Assuming they manage to re-sign both Schwarber and Realmuto, the outfield is the next biggest need for the Phillies this offseason. And it’s not even close.

The outfield has been a problem area for a while now. It got worse in 2025. Phillies outfielders hit .248/.309/.400 with 95 wRC+ and ranked 23rd in the majors with 3.5 fWAR.

Veteran right fielder Nick Castellanos is on his way out the door. He’ll be 34 on Opening Day and had multiple run-ins with manager Rob Thomson while struggling through much of the season. The Phillies are shopping him, looking for any takers willing to take on at least some of his $20 million he is owed in the final year of his $100 million deal.

Brandon Marsh has proven year after year that he’s a platoon player. He hit right-handers (.838 OPS) this year but again struggled immensely versus lefties (.577 OPS). If they don’t trade him, look for the Phillies to bring in a right-hand-hitting platoon partner for one of the corner outfield spots.

Top prospect Justin Crawford is officially a part of the Phillies’ plans next year. Yay! Dombrowski spoke at the GM Meetings about how they feel comfortable handing an outfield job to the 2022 first-round pick, who will be 22 on Opening Day. The only question is whether Crawford’s defense is good enough to play center in the big leagues or if he’ll be better suited in left field.

Potential Free Agent Fits: Kyle Tucker, Harrison Bader, Austin Hays, Miguel Andujar

Kyle Tucker would be a dream signing. Unfortunately for fans, the Phillies are likely only to pursue the right fielder if they somehow whiff on Schwarber. They can’t afford both. But adding a five-tool player would turn their outfield outlook around immensely.

Bader only spent a short time with the team after coming over at the trade deadline but made a big impact. He plays an elite center field and has an infectious personality that his Phillies teammates and fans gravitated toward. Coming off a career-high 122 wRC+ and heading into his age-32 season, would his bat provide enough to make a re-signing worthwhile? It would certainly make the Phillies’ center field question easier.

Reuniting with 2024 trade deadline flop Austin Hays would be surprising, but it’s slim pickings on the free agent outfield market. He barely played for the Phillies that season thanks to a serious kidney infection. He’s still 30 and battled injuries again this season with the Cincinnati Reds, playing in 103 games. It would satisfy the need for a right-handed platoon bat to pair with Marsh.

Miguel Andujar had a great season split between the Reds and Athletics. He hit .318/.352/.470 in 94 games but absolutely mashed left-handed pitching to the tune of .389/.409/.578 in a small 90-at-bat sample. Turning 31 before Opening Day, you can see Andujar playing a corner outfield spot for the Phillies next year, although he hasn’t played a full season since 2018 thanks to injuries.

Potential Trade Targets: Steven Kwan, Seiya Suzuki, Luis Robert Jr.

The Phillies were in on Steven Kwan at the trade deadline, but the Cleveland Guardians asking price of prospect Aidan Miller was too high. Kwan offers Gold Glove defense in left, but not much pop at the plate. It seems unlikely that the cost will come down enough for Dombrowski to part with Miller this winter. Plus he hits from the left side.

Seiya Suzuki might be available this winter as he heads into the final year of his deal with the Chicago Cubs. He has been an above-average offensive player in each of his first four MLB seasons, averaging 127 wRC+, and is coming off his best year. He’s a right-handed bat and can play both corner outfield spots, although not amazingly. Suzuki’s $18 million owed in 2026 might be a sticking point, as might his no-trade clause.

Luis Robert Jr. has reportedly been on the Phillies’ trade radar for a couple of years now. The Chicago White Sox have asked potential trade partners for too much however. Now that they’ve picked up his $20 million option, that probably eliminates the Phillies from making a deal.

Reinforce the Bullpen Depth

After trading for closer Jhoan Duran at the deadline this season, the Phillies will head into 2026 with a solid back of the bullpen. The dominant right-hander’s arrival stabilized a relief corps that floundered all season. They have five of next year’s spots accounted for.

The Phillies picked up lefty José Alvarado’s option for one more year. They still have fellow lefties Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks, who just had a career season. Right-hander Orion Kerkering figures to be a big part of their future.

That leaves them, at this point, relying on in-house arms like Seth Johnson, Max Lazar, Daniel Robert and Michael Mercado. They all might be fine as the eighth or maybe seventh reliever on a staff, but that can’t be all the Phillies will rely on next year.

With all the focus on Schwarber, Realmuto and the outfield, we’ve heard almost nothing about their plans here. You know that Dombrowski will want to add more pieces. The attrition of a long season can churn through bullpen arms.

Don’t expect the Phillies to be in the market for any of the high-end free agent closers. But you can definitely see them adding at least one solid middle reliever type in free agency.

Potential Free Agent Fits: Tyler Rogers, Seranthony Domínguez, Kyle Finnegan, Jakob Junis

Tyler Rogers just had a career year with the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets, where the Phillies got a first-hand look at his nasty submarine delivery from the right side. The soon-to-be 35-year-old posted a 1.98 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 77 1/3 innings, baffling hitters with a 62.1% groundball rate. The Phillies like different looks in the bullpen, and you don’t get much different than Rogers.

Reuniting with Seranthony Domínguez, who will be 31 on Opening Day and now boasts World Series experience, might be an option. The right-hander pitched to a 3.16 ERA in 62 2/3 innings split between the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays. Thanks to a new splitter (that he learned from his former teammate Alvarado), Domínguez struck out batters at a 30.3% clip but struggled with command at times, posting a 13.8% walk rate.

Another reliever who the Phillies are familiar with after his five and a half seasons in Washington, 34-year-old Kyle Finnegan carries a career 3.55 ERA. He had a 3.47 ERA in 57 innings in 2025 but was lights out after being dealt to Detroit. In 18 innings with the Tigers, the righty had a 1.50 ERA and 0.72 WHIP with 23 strikeouts to just four walks.

Converted starter Jakob Junis, 33, has been solid as a reliever the last three seasons. He has a 3.24 ERA since 2023 and finished this year with a 2.97 in the Cleveland Guardians strong bullpen. The right-hander’s strikeout totals won’t knock anyone’s socks off, with 55 in 66 2/3 innings. But he doesn’t give up free passes very often with just 18 on the year.

Final Thoughts

As you’ve gathered by now he outfield is the highest priority after bringing back Schwarber and Realmuto. While there will be bullpen movement, the Phillies will also be looking to supplement the best starting rotation in the game.

What that looks like is anyone’s guess at this point. Dombrowski has said it’s not at the top of his list. Perhaps just picking up a couple of depth starters is the path the Phillies will take.

There are also rumors that they will be pursuing Tatsuya Imai. The Phillies have been determined to make a splash in the Japanese free agent market for a few years now. They have repeatedly come up empty. If you squint, you can see them willing to spend more money on a starting pitcher if it means finally getting a foothold in the Pacific Rim.

However this offseason plays out, you can be sure that Dombrowski will have the Phillies poised as a legitimate contender in 2026. There’s still plenty of work to be done before we can dream about a potential run to the World Series.