The Philadelphia Phillies didn't have the biggest free agency splash this offseason, but their farm system is one to look forward to in 2026. The Phillies approach to building a championship roster has been through free agency, and it's worked to a degree, but it won't be sustainable if not for young talent to fill out the roster.
Rob Thomson has been the Phillies manager since halfway through the 2022 regular season. He's seen the changes the roster has made over the last few seasons. Thomson will now be managing an expected youth movement in 2026.
Rob Thomson looks forward to welcoming Phillies' youth movement
Thomson recently sat down with Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer and discussed the importance of the Phillies having a quality farm system. Thomson sees the turnaround the Phillies' farm system has made and values the injection of youth into the organization.
“I think if you want to have a really healthy organization, you have to be able to ingest, infuse some youth along the way,” Thomson said, per Lauber. “You know, the Dodgers do it in a completely different way. And God bless them. You know, they’re not doing anything underhanded or illegal, but that’s just the way they do it. But I think if you want to be really healthy and for a sustainable future, I think you have to have a good farm system. We do now.”
Manager Rob Thomson believes the Phillies have "high-end" young players they can inject into the lineup in 2026. pic.twitter.com/5HptO5IbZn
— Philadelphia Inquirer Sports (@phillysport) January 29, 2026
2026 is the first time in quite a while that the Phillies have some young prospects to be excited about. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, along with the rest of the front office, has built up the farm system to a much more respectable place (subscription required). Thomson recognizes that and is excited to get to manage the next wave of Phillies stars.
“We have some really high-end prospects with [Aidan] Miller, and we’ve got [Gabriel] Rincones Jr. coming in,” Thomson said, per Lauber. “And we got some other kids coming, and I think the future is bright for a long time with this organization, with the veteran guys that we have, and we have some long contracts, granted. But I think that there’s some spots there where we can, we can fill with some of this high-end young talent.”
The Phillies are one of the oldest clubs in MLB, and that won't change for at least a few seasons with the big-money contracts yet to expire. Those veterans will stabilize the roster, but it's the young players like Aidan Miller, Gabriel Rincones Jr., and also the Justin Crawfords and Andrew Painters that will round out the roster.
Of the bunch, Crawford may be the first one to debut in 2026 (subscription required). Painter could also secure a rotation spot out of spring training. Players may come up at different times this season, but the thought of them coming is what should give Phillies fans hope.