We all know that the Philadelphia Phillies' season didn't turn out how anyone had hoped or expected. After another early playoff exit, we've been biding our time waiting for the Major League Baseball offseason to officially begin for weeks now. But now that the World Series will be wrapping up, it's time for the Phillies to get to work, with qualifying offers first on the table.
The Phillies have a handful of free agents this winter, with a couple of them still eligible to receive a qualifying offer. One of those eligible is designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. The other is left-hander Ranger Suárez.
Both Schwarber and Suárez are eligible for a one-year qualifying offer, as they have never received one. If you're wondering about the other big free agent, J.T. Realmuto, he received a qualifying offer from the Phillies in 2020, which he rejected before re-signing in Philadelphia.
This year's qualifying offer amount was recently set at $22.025 million. The Phillies have until five days after the end of the World Series, so Nov. 6, to officially make their qualifying offers. The players have until 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 18 to accept or reject their offers.
Phillies need to make Kyle Schwarber, Ranger Suárez qualifying offers this offseason
The Phillies will no doubt extend offers to Schwarber and Suárez. They'd be silly not to. Both players will most likely reject the offers. They'd also be silly not to.
The good news is that can only benefit the Phillies. If either player signs with a different team, the Phillies get a compensatory pick after the fourth round of next year's draft.
Around these parts, no free agent name is bigger than Schwarber. The possibility that he could sign elsewhere is terrifying for Phillies fans. He just completed a career season and will be cashing in on the open market.
In the final season of his original four-year, $79 million deal, Schwarber hit .240 with a career-high .928 OPS. He set new career highs with 56 home runs, 132 RBIs, 111 runs scored and 4.9 fWAR.
Just listen to this place pic.twitter.com/EL7dao65dA
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 5, 2025
The Phillies have repeatedly said that Schwarber is a top priority for them this offseason. Even though Schwarber will be 33 on Opening Day and with a projected five-year, $150 million contract on the table, it's difficult to imagine Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski letting him get away.
Suárez, on the other hand, feels more likely to be wearing a different uniform in 2026. Dombrowski has already insinuated that the 30-year-old will be the odd man out in the rotation after the front office has made all of their free agent decisions.
After debuting with the Phillies in 2018, Suárez has a 53-37 record with a 3.38 ERA in 187 games (119 starts). He has turned into a reliable middle-of-the-rotation starter, posting Cy Young-worthy stretches over the last couple of seasons.
It will be sad if/when he does sign with a different team, but the writing looks to already be on the wall. At least the Phillies should get something in return.