Even for a team like the Philadelphia Phillies, whose primary focus in recent years has been keeping the core together, every offseason is a time of transition. The Phillies didn't lose a ton of contributors from 2025, but some important pieces did say farewell over the winter.
Of the important pieces Philadelphia lost, there are a couple they'll miss for various reasons and a few others who have either been replaced by better options or weren't as good as they originally seemed.
The Phillies will miss these two offseason departures in 2026
Ranger Suárez
Ranger Suárez's Red Sox debut left fans with mixed feelings. He underwhelmed overall in his first appearance of 2026, but it doesn't change the fact that the crafty southpaw is a quality hurler. He has his warts, durability being chief among them, but he's proven to be a solid No. 2.
His departure gives Andrew Painter an opportunity, which could be a net positive overall. Still, wouldn't it be nice to still have Suárez to push Taijuan Walker from the rotation? Rob Thomson might think Walker's stuff looked good as he got smacked around by the lowly Nationals, but we know better.
Matt Strahm
Behind-the-scenes complications aside, it's always better to have a high-strikeout, consistently effective lefty out of the pen like Matt Strahm than not. Sure, Jose Alvarado is back and fills that role, and Philly has some other southpaws who could prove to be solid contributors, but in a world of volatility, having a reliever who can consistently get outs year after year is a nice thing to have.
The onus now is on Jonathan Bowlan to step up and prove he's a worthy return for a pitcher of Strahm's caliber.
These three former Phillies will not be missed in 2026
Harrison Bader
Harrison Bader had been good for the Minnesota Twins when he came over at last year's trade deadline, posting a .778 OPS during the portion of the year he spent in the Land of a Thousand Lakes. He was even better after migrating to the City of Brotherly Love, recording an .824 OPS as a Phillie.
However, as the offseason arrived, there was a laundry list of factors that would make one believe that his 2025 performance was a mirage. You can start with the 12th percentile average exit velocity, move on over to his .374 expected slugging percentage, and punctuate the regression case with a 22nd percentile whiff rate. Not to mention, letting Bader walk means we get Justin Crawford, and not only is he exciting, but his speed and dynamic athleticism add a new dimension to the Philadelphia position player corps.
Jordan Romano
Once upon a time, Jordan Romano would have been an exciting arm to have residing in the Phillies' pen, but after some serious injury woes, he clearly hasn't been the same player. It was worth a shot to see if he could recapture the old magic last year. Now, though, he's best served trying to make his comeback on a team going nowhere, which is exactly where he landed with the Los Angeles Angels.
The early returns the Angels have received from Romano are encouraging (standard small-sample disclaimer), but his velocity is down nearly one mile per hour versus the 95.4 miles per hour he put up last year in Philly, and that was down from the 96.6 he showed in 2024 with the Toronto Blue Jays. That's not a great trend, and while we wish him the best, it's hard to see it coming together for him.
Nick Castellanos
Getting rid of Nick Castellanos was addition by subtraction. Full stop. Moving on from him, though, and replacing him with Adolis Garcia gives the Phillies an important boost. Even if Garcia fails to recapture his power stroke and posts a sub-.700 OPS again, he'll still more-or-less replicate Castellanos's offensive "production." More importantly, he'll be a massive defensive improvement in right field. That's just the cherry on top.