The lack of big offseason moves for the Philadelphia Phillies had fans up in arms, wondering if it'll be enough to continue their reign in the NL East. They retained designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and catcher J.T. Realmuto on big money deals but spent substantially less to fill out the rest of the roster. The lineup is much the same besides a few minor tweaks. Even after seemingly running back the same lineup year after year, the latest ranking has them still in respectable company among other MLB lineups.
ESPN ranked the top projected lineups for the 2026 MLB regular season. There's room for things to change between now and Opening Day, but there's no reasonable expectation that the Phillies will upend one of their positional players at this point. Among the 30 MLB clubs, the Phillies came in at ninth on their list. That's not too bad considering the Phillies repeated lineup year after year. Baseball is back, and that means the Phillies can still sport a threatening offense in 2026.
Phillies fans still may not realize that the lineup can still perform among the best in MLB
Just because the Phillies are putting out a similar lineup for a few seasons doesn't mean they can't still perform at a high level. The Los Angeles Dodgers unsurprisingly take the number one spot with their litany of stars across their lineup, but the Phillies still came in the top 10 without a big addition all winter. The projected lineup will introduce two new outfielders, 32-year-old veteran Adolis García and rookie Justin Crawford.
Even with the stale feeling to the lineup, the Phillies have some real upside to their offense. They have an excellent baserunning team with some durable stars. Schwarber is coming off an MVP runner-up in 2025 after a 56-home run campaign, while shortstop Trea Turner is the reigning NL batting champ. The team also has some speed, and the addition of Crawford will further show that strength in 2026.
This iteration of the Phillies still has aspirations of winning the World Series. There wasn't that big splash fans were hoping for this past winter, whether it was Bo Bichette or anyone else to add to the lineup. In 2025, the Phillies' offense ranked fourth with a .759 OPS as a team. They also ranked fourth in slugging percentage (.431), second in batting average (.258), and fourth in on-base percentage (.328). They have a solid core and are more than willing to continue that run in 2026, with good reason. Sometimes working with what you have is what's best for this baseball team.