Decision day is about to arrive for the Phillies.
Double down on the group that’s been very good in the regular season but disappointing in October? Shake it up? Add another star? Do something drastic?
You’re guess is as good as mine as to where this Phillies offseason goes. If I had to guess, my inclination is the Phillies would prefer to “run it back” for 2026. But anything can happen in free agency, along with whatever the trade market looks like.
With baseball’s offseason opening up, here’s my big board of potential Phillies free agent targets. I’ll have a list of potential trade targets soon, so today is strictly about free agents that I would like to see Dave Dombrowksi chase.
Tier 1: The offseason starts here.
Kyle Schwarber, DH: Bring him back. Let’s not overcomplicate this. He’s the heart and soul of the team, and the power hitter they need. It’s hard to construct the 2026 Phillies without him and come up with a World Series lineup.
Tier 2: Let’s try to over take the Dodgers.
Alex Bregman, 3B: One of my favorite players in the sport. A winner. A grinder. He’s spent a career playing in the month of October. Think about the lineup protection Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are afforded with Will Smith hitting behind them. That could be Bregman here, as a big upgrade over Alec Bohm.
Kyle Tucker, OF: I doubt the Phillies will spend at his level, but I would try.
Cody Bellinger, OF/1B: Is it possible to be a former MVP and still underrated?
Josh Naylor, 1B: One of baseball’s least talked about excellent players. Puts the bat on the ball, has pop, and has winning instincts. I would consider signing him with the intention of asking Bryce Harper to go back to the outfield.
Bo Bichette, INF: Get him in here and we’ll make the defensive alignment work.
Harrison Bader, OF: I would welcome his return as along as we all agree that his mid-August to mid-September run was probably an outlier.
Tier 3: What if Schwarber leaves?
Pete Alonso: I’m concerned how he’ll age.
Ryan O’Hearn: He’s probably better than you think.
Luis Arraez: What about building a different team based on more contact and less swing and miss.
Rhys Hoskins: When all else fails, let’s bring back some nostalgia.
Tier 4: Just give him the late-career Yadier Molina deal.
J.T. Realmuto: I’m comfortable with him. So are the Phillies. Two years. If it goes three, I have to pivot.
Tier 5: What if someone really gives Realmuto three years?
Danny Jansen: I’ve always thought there’s more to him than he’s produced. This would be a stop gap.
Tier 6: Are we sure we want to let Ranger Suarez walk?
Ranger Suarez: I’d offer him three years, $60M. If he gets more, I wish him well.
Tier 7: We’re not just going to hand Andrew Painter a rotation spot, hope Zack Wheeler is OK, and expect an Aaron Nola bounce back, right?
Michael King: I’ll keep betting on his Cy Young breakout.
Dylan Cease: Could Caleb Cotham smooth out the edges?
Merrill Kelly: He’s a gamer.
Zach Elfin: How fun would a return be?
Justin Verlander: Our version of what Max Scherzer was for the Toronto Blue Jays?
Tier 8: I need another bullpen arm.
Dustin May: Just get him here in this pitching program.
Devin Williams: Bounce back year?
Luke Weaver: He’s got big-time stuff.
Brad Keller: The Cubs unlocked something.
Ryan Helsley: Terrible walk year, but the stuff is still there.
We’re excited to have Jason Avant on the show every week moving forward.
Download WIP Daily on your favorite platform.
Thanks for reading and subscribing!
