Friday was a day that Philadelphia Phillies fans will want to forget. It was easily the worst day of the offseason, which really started on Thursday night when Kyle Tucker landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
That turned into about 16 hours of a rollercoaster of emotions. Phillies fans were feeling confident in the front office's ability to sign free agent shortstop Bo Bichette. Instead, that turned into a coup by the New York Mets and the Phillies were left to crawl back to J.T. Realmuto.
The Phillies and the veteran catcher agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal, with $5 million in incentives each year. Much to many fans' chagrin, it certainly looks like the Phillies are running it back with a very similar-looking group, at least at this point.
With just weeks until spring training gets underway, the Phillies' heavy lifting of the offseason looks to be about done. Barring a surprising trade or a shocking free agent signing that shakes things up, it's difficult to see president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski spending much more money.
So where does the Phillies' lineup stand as we peer ahead to the 2026 season?
Here's what the Phillies' projected 2026 lineup looks like after re-signing J.T. Realmuto
- Trea Turner, SS (R)
- Kyle Schwarber, DH (L)
- Bryce Harper, 1B (L)
- Alec Bohm, 3B (R)
- Brandon Marsh, LF (L)
- Adolis García, RF (R)
- Bryson Stott, 2B (L)
- J.T. Realmuto, C (R)
- Justin Crawford, CF (L)
As you can see, it looks extremely similar to a lot of the lineups we saw last year, with a few exceptions of course.
We've slotted Realmuto and his depreciated bat lower in the lineup, but if he rediscovers his form it would be easy to see manager Rob Thomson staying flexible with his other right-handed hitters. They'll likely stick Rafael Marchán on the bench as his backup, and as long as Realmuto stays healthy he'll see minimal time again in 2026.
The Phillies need a right-handed bat to protect Bryce Harper. Right now, it looks like that will be up to Alec Bohm, new right fielder Adolis García, or possibly Realmuto. It might just depend on who's hot at any given time.
The biggest omission is obviously Nick Castellanos in right field. Although he's still technically on the roster and employed by the Phillies, it's probably the worst-kept secret in the league that he's on his way out the door, either via trade or release.
As for the rest of the outfield, top prospect Justin Crawford has the job in center field, assuming he doesn't implode during spring training. He'll spend his time in the nine-hole. Brandon Marsh will be the lefty platoon bat in left field, with the right-handed Otto Kemp the favorite to start as his running mate.
Bryson Stott will get the lion's share at second base. However, if he struggles against left-handed pitching you can see him losing playing time again to versatile righty Edmundo Sosa.
Unfortunately, there's not much else to say about this group. It would have been way more fun to put together a new lineup with Bichette. But, alas, here we are.