With the self-imposed lockout deadline only 11 days after MLB’s last date to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players, the scramble for free agents in those days will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
The Philadelphia Phillies should be very active during that period. They have a litany of holes to fill on their roster. Some of them—third base and corner outfield—will require more production than these non-tender candidates can offer. Otherwise, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski should use that window as a prime shopping opportunity for the infield bench role, back-up catcher spot, and left-handed reliever.
Among the long list of players who will surely be non-tendered, these six would be exceptional fits on the Phillies’ roster.
Andrew Nardi
Nardi is a Dombrowski-special. This fixer-upper lefty is a strikeout machine. For his career, across 144.1 IP, Nardi has a K/9 of 12.1 and has a relatively low 4.0 BB/9 to boot.
The problem is, since 2024, he’s lost a full season to a back injury and is currently rehabbing from season-ending elbow surgery after sporting a 5.16 ERA last year. His timetable to return would be late in the 2027 season. But if the lockout wipes out the first half of the year anyway, a potential shutdown lefty for August/September could be more valuable than ever. Plus, he’s under team control through 2028.
Logan O’Hoppe
When O’Hoppe was blocked by J.T. Realmuto and subsequently traded at the 2022 deadline, it felt like a final departure for the future star. But with the Los Angeles Angels, that star never rose.
O’Hoppe called his time there “the hardest four years of my baseball life.”
With the Texas Rangers, things were a little different. He only played in 10 games as their backup catcher at the end of the season, going 6-for-17, but it was a far cry from his .227 career average with the Angels.
There’s talent in O’Hoppe’s bat, even if the defense is a little lacking. Who better to learn from for him than three-time Silver Slugger and four-time Gold Glove winner Realmuto?
Shopping for non-tender candidates that could take the Phillies to the next level
Mark Vientos
Vientos crushed the Phillies in the 2024 NLDS, with two home runs and a 1.674 OPS. Since then, though, he’s slashed .225/.277/.405 and fallen out of favor with the New York Mets. There’s clearly potential remaining in the 26-year-old’s power-laden bat that new Phillies hitting coach Peter Fatse would be excited to harness.
Of greater concern, though, would be Vientos’ ability to stick at the hot corner, where he played only three games last year. If the Phillies believe Vientos can fill in as a right-handed bat at third base, he’d be a savvy addition to the squad.
Camilo Doval
Doval was consistently among the best closers in baseball with the San Francisco Giants from 2021 to 2025, even if he was a little inconsistent at times. Since he was traded to the New York Yankees at the 2025 trade deadline, though, things have gone poorly. He pitched to a 4.82 ERA over 18.2 IP in the Bronx that year, before bouncing around three teams in 2026 and finishing the year with the Giants. He ended the campaign with a 4.15 ERA and should earn upwards of $8 million in arbitration, a hefty sum for such an erratic pitcher.
So when the hard-throwing righty hits the market later this month, the Phillies should be the first to inquire. With a pitching department headed by Caleb Cotham, who has fixed so many volatile relievers before, Doval should also want to revive his career in Philly.
Joey Bart
The former second overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft never figured out Major League pitching. His -14 career catching runs, according to Savant, are something to be wary of as well. But for a player with such strong tools to hit the market for as cheap as Bart will cost, the Phillies shouldn’t shy away from examining him for their backup catching job. They could do a lot worse.
Nolan Gorman
After 2023, Gorman was on track to become an everyday member of an exciting St. Louis Cardinals core. Instead, his strikeout rate exploded, and now he finds himself positionless at Busch Stadium.
Gorman is perfectly acceptable as a second or third baseman defensively—though he certainly won’t win any Gold Gloves—and his walk rate and launch angle are remarkably high. His hitting profile is remarkably similar to Brandon Marsh’s, but coming off the bench, that’s not a bad player to be.
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