The Philadelphia Phillies have made various moves so far this offseason to address their roster needs ahead of the 2026 MLB season. Whether it be the massive re-signing of slugger Kyle Schwarber, the recruitment of Adolis García and Brad Keller from free agency, or the acquisition of key depth pieces through trade in Yoniel Curet, Jonathan Bowlan and Kyle Backhus, every transaction is expected to have some kind of impact on the Phillies for now and the future.
However, despite the solid moves to date, Philadelphia would have made an even bigger splash this offseason if they happened to reel in a big-time difference maker or two to elevate them into World Series favorites right away. As a result, we will take a look at three moves that Phillies fans wish Philadelphia had pulled off instead this offseason.
3 moves this offseason that fans wish the Phillies had pulled off instead
Sign a superstar outfielder instead of Adolis García
When Philadelphia inked García to a one-year, $10 million deal to bolster their outfield, somehow it felt like the Phillies were heading down the same road again as they did with Austin Hays and more recently Max Kepler. In each of the cases, Philadelphia was betting on the fact that they could rediscover their dominant form seen earlier in their careers. For García, that would be back in 2023 when he hit 39 home runs and drove in 107 runs while batting close to .250 with an .836 OPS. However, given the results that we have witnessed for both Hays and Kepler, Phillies fans should severely temper their expectations.
The Phillies should have instead invested in a sure thing, namely one of the top outfielders available in the free agent market in Cody Bellinger or of course the top option available in Kyle Tucker. Especially with Nick Castellanos likely be moved prior to the start of the 2026 season, the Phillies need a legitimate replacement who can guarantee Castellanos’ lost production and more.
That would mean a .270 hitter who can put up at least 25 home runs and 90 RBIs per season. Both Bellinger and Tucker could achieve those with ease, not to mention that they are also both better defensively in the field as well. Therefore, that should have been the move that the Phillies made for their outfield upgrade.
Add another proven elite closer instead of Brad Keller
The trend nowadays in the MLB has teams aiming to stock up with multiple former elite closers in their bullpen to dominate opposing hitters to close out ballgames. Not only that, in the event one of them lands on the injured list, they would have the assurance that another elite option can quickly step in to cover for the role.
We have seen that last year for instance when the San Diego Padres had both Mason Miller and Robert Suárez, the Detroit Tigers‘ deployment of Will Vest and Kyle Finnegan, as well as the New York Yankees three-headed monster of Devin Williams, Camilo Doval, and David Bednar. Even this offseason, the Atlanta Braves has followed that framework by signing Suárez to join Raisel Iglesias in their back end of the bullpen.
The Phillies already have a firm one set with Jhoan Duran . Therefore, Philadelphia fans likely wished that they were in the hunt for top arms such as Suárez, Williams, Ryan Helsley, and the best one that was available in Edwin Diaz to significantly bolster their relief corps.
However, they ended up with just a solid reliable addition with limited closing experience in Keller. Consequently, with the majority of the elite closing options now removed from the free agent market, either the Phillies need to accomplish it via trade, or they now need to settle with their current setup of having just Duran as their lone, proven elite closer.
Secure a top-end starter instead of … nothing
Prior to the conclusion of the 2025 season, the Phillies unfortunately lost ace Zack Wheeler due to surgery to treat his thoracic outlet syndrome condition. At the same time, top pitching prospect Andrew Painter never had the breakout minor league season that many were expecting of him last year in Triple-A Lehigh Valley as he struggled to just a 5.40 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, giving up 64 earned runs on 119 hits in 106 2/3 innings pitched over 22 starts.
As of now, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, and Jesús Luzardo are the three locks in the Phillies rotation to start 2026. However, when Wheeler will be back at 100 percent health and whether Painter can make the next step to the major league level remains to be seen. As a result, Philadelphia should shutter away that potential concern by signing a legitimate starter to join the group.
With that, there are plenty of elite options still remaining in free agency in Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen, Tatsuya Imai and of course one of their very own in Ranger Suárez. To add back a top-end starter who can deliver quality innings while maintaining a sub-4.00 ERA could once again make the Phillies have one of the top rotations in all of baseball. So instead of slow-playing it like they did with the relievers market, it’s time to act now before it’s too late.