The Philadelphia Phillies have accomplished some of their goals so far this offseason. While they were able to re-sign Kyle Schwarber, add a new starting right fielder in Adolis García, and make some changes to their bullpen, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski still needs to make more changes.
The Phillies still need to decide whether to part with Alec Bohm and determine whether to trade or release Nick Castellanos. Arguably, the biggest issue the Phillies still need to address is at catcher. Will J.T. Realmuto re-sign?
Phillies get a B- for their offseason so far, with more changes needed before spring training
Heading into the offseason, the Phillies' primary focus was to re-sign Schwarber. The organization wanted to bring him back, and the designated hitter desired to remain in Philadelphia. He was going to receive a contract for at least four years.
The Pittsburgh Pirates offered the Middletown, Ohio, native a four-year, $125 million contract. The Baltimore Orioles expressed interest in signing the veteran power hitter, surpassing the Pirates' offer with a five-year, $150 million contract. The Phillies matched the Orioles' offer, which he accepted on Dec. 9.
While the contract was a bit longer and more costly than the Phillies had projected, they accomplished their main objective of the offseason. They didn't have to pivot and be pressured to add a replacement for the veteran, such as Pete Alonso, Cody Bellinger, or Kyle Tucker.
The club's other big signing thus far in the offseason was making an addition that will give their outfield a new look next year. The Phillies and García agreed on a one-year, $10 million deal on Dec. 16, making him their starting right fielder, replacing Castellanos. The native of Ciego de Avila, Cuba, is seeking a fresh start following back-to-back underwhelming seasons after a career-best 2023 season that culminated in him winning the ALCS MVP award with the Texas Rangers.
García is a better defender than Castellanos, so the Phillies should have an upgrade in the field. However, will García be able to rebound offensively from his disappointing seasons in 2024 and 2025?
He has an opportunity to take advantage of playing for a club that plays its home games in hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park. The 32-year-old will strike out a lot as he finished with 135 in 135 games this season. He may not hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs, but a 20-25-homer, 90-RBI season with and a .740 OPS seems reasonable.
The Phillies have made changes in their bullpen. They added Brad Keller on a two-year deal and traded Matt Strahm to the Kansas City Royals for Jonathan Bowlan. Philadelphia also acquired Zach McCambley in the Rule 5 Draft, traded for Yoniel Curet and Kyle Backhus, and signed Zach Pop.
Keller will make the club's 2026 roster, while the rest of the new additions will have to compete in spring training for a spot on the Opening Day roster.
However, the Phillies still have more moves to make before the start of spring training in mid-February. Dombrowski has attempted to trade Castellanos, but there is no interest from other clubs. The right fielder may still be on the roster by spring training. Will Bohm be traded this offseason? If he is, Dombrowski will need to acquire another third baseman in free agency or via trade.
Dombrowski has been working on re-signing Realmuto. Catcher is a position the Phillies need to address and will need to act quickly to find a replacement if the veteran doesn't re-sign. They may look to acquire another starting backstop via trade.
The Phillies missed an opportunity to add an ideal platoon outfielder in Rob Refsnyder. The right-handed batter has excellent statistics against left-handed pitching, which is what the Phillies have looked for the past couple of years. He slugged a .302/.399/.560 line with a .959 OPS and finished with seven home runs and 25 RBIs against left-handers this year. Dombrowski appears to be content with giving right-handed hitting Otto Kemp an opportunity to be a platoon outfielder in left field.
Philadelphia's offseason hasn't been terrible, but there are still more additions, subtractions, and decisions to be made. Resolving the catcher uncertainty, trading or releasing Castellanos, and deciding whether to keep Bohm or not for part of or all of next season are what Dombrowski still needs to address.