4 difficult roster decisions the Phillies must address ASAP
By Eric Cole
The Phillies have a Kyle Schwarber problem
Kyle Schwarber's presence and role on the Phillies' roster causes a number of problems. On one hand, he has been their biggest source of power in their lineup as his 21 homers and .253 ISO leads the team by a wide margin. However, that along with a good walk rate is pretty much all he brings to the table these days as he is slashing .184/.325/.437, is a terrible defensive player, and has been worth -0.1 fWAR in 2023 despite all of those dingers.
We'll talk about the defense first because the solution there is both the easiest and also appears to already be in the works. Schwarber should not be in the field at all. Period. In the outfield this season, he has -14 Outs Above Average which is shockingly bad for half a season's worth of play. Fortunately, it looks like a more permanent slide over to the DH spot is coming as the Phillies are currently planning on playing Bryce Harper at first base after the All-Star break. Once that happens, Schwarber should not be in the field nearly as much and that is a huge win in itself.
The offensive struggles are a bit more complex and long built. Schwarber has basically been this sort of hitter in three of his past four seasons where he hits a bunch of home runs and draws walks, but the rest of his offensive game really lags behind. One hopes that not being in the field will allow Kyle to save some energy and contribute in a more well-rounded way at the plate, but that is far from a given.
While it isn't likely given that the Phillies owe Schwarber $20 million a year for the next three seasons, things are rough enough that his presence on the roster at all should be questioned if he doesn't show signs of improvement at the plate soon.
The Phillies need to replace Kody Clemens
This lines up with the first base discussion above, but warrants specific mention here. Kody Clemens has some experience playing multiple positions, but has seen the bulk of his playing time at first base where he has split time with Alec Bohm in 2023. However, he has left a lot to be desired at the plate wherever he has played in the field with a .232/.279/.370 and 74 wRC+ in 147 plate appearances.
Assuming Bryce Harper makes the move to first base relatively quickly, the Phillies should look to just replace Clemens on the roster with an outfield bat that can keep Schwarber off the field that can actually contribute offensively. Adam Duvall would be an ideal scenario assuming the Red Sox choose to make him available at the deadline with guys like Lane Thomas and Teoscar Hernandez being relatively interesting options as well.