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Phillies Expected to Let Disappointing Offseason Signing Walk in Free Agency

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Michael Brauner | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 4:45 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies are about to embark on a playoff run which they hope ends with a happier conclusion than there last three have, being eliminated at various points of the October gauntlet all in heartbreaking fashion.

As the Phillies try to make this deep run into the postseason, they do so with the knowledge that they are going to have some tough choices to make right after the season ends, whenever that may be. How they assemble their outfield next season is going to be one of the main questions fans ask as free agency eventually begins.

The big acquisition from this past offseason was of course Max Kepler, who the team awarded a one-year deal worth $10 million to. Though there have been flashes from the 32-year-old down the stretch, it seems unlikely Philadelphia will try to bring him back again. In fact, Edward Eng of FanSided recently predicted that Kepler is entering the final days of his tenure with the team as the season draws toward a conclusion.

Phillies Projected to Move On From Max Kepler This Offseason

"Signed in the offseason to solve the Phillies’ outfield situation, Max Kepler had been quite the disappointment for the most part," Eng wrote. "With deadline addition Harrison Bader, whom they will likely try to re-sign, drawing rave reviews since his arrival in Philadelphia, along with top outfield prospect Justin Crawford knocking on the door for 2026, Kepler will likely be the odd man out going forward."

The emergence of Bader has been a key reason why Philadelphia has been able to have as strong of a second half as they had, so Eng's prediction that they will try to retain him would make a lot of sense. Bader has been incredible in his 44 games with the team, slashing .329/.390/.510 with five home runs and 16 RBI to already account for a bWAR of 1.7.

Kepler on the other hand has struggled with consistency at the plate this season.

Phillies Have Not Gotten What They Had Hoped From Kepler

Kepler has been solid down the stretch and will have a chance to prove to the team this October why he should be kept around, but the overall body of work is just not very impressive. Slashing .217/.303/.387 with 17 home runs and 51 RBI, Kepler has a bWAR of exactly 0.0 as he has struggled to keep positive momentum going.

Over the last month, that slash line has been raised to .230/.324/.443 with four home runs and 11 RBI in 18 games for a nice little stretch, however it remains to be seen whether the hot streak is sustainable.

Kepler has become a non-every day player, which of course is not ideal given the fact that he's being paid eight figures this season. With the chance for Philadelphia to part ways after the season ends, it would be a minor surprise to see them make a real attempt to retain him.

Hopefully, Kepler can do some positive things over the coming weeks and help the team win games, but it seems the writing is on the wall for him and the Phillies this winter.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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