Phillies

The Phillies Have Gotten Better at 0 Positions this Offseason

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Jan 16th, 2026 · 3:06 PM EST

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A generally accurate summary here:

– Called Harper a bum
– Overpaid Schwarber
– Lost Ranger
– Lost Bo to the Mets
– Annoyed JT
– Annoyed Bohm
– Can’t dump Castellanos

Great Phillies offseason, Dombrowski.

— drew olanoff (@yoda) January 16, 2026

It’s feeling like a run-it-back season after they more or less just went through a run-it-back season in 2025. That’s outside of the Jesus Luzardo addition, which ended up being a good one, but the core was largely the same.

As it stands, the Phillies have upgraded zero positions from 2025 to 2026, with the potential for two depending on what happens in center and right field:

• catcher: J.T. Realmuto –> J.T. Realmuto
• DH: Kyle Schwarber –> Kyle Schwarber
• first base: Bryce Harper –> Bryce Harper
• second base: Bryson Stott –> Bryson Stott
• shortstop: Trea Turner –> Trea Turner
• third base: Alec Bohm –> Alec Bohm
• right field: Nick Castellanos –> Adolis Garcia (with Castellanos still on the roster)
• center field: Brandon Marsh, cup of coffee Harrison Bader, and others –> Justin Crawford
• left field: Max Kepler –> Brandon Marsh
• starting rotation: largely the same, assuming Zack Wheeler comes back healthy
• bullpen: feels like a wash

There are free agents still out there, but the big ones are mostly locked up. Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, and Bo Bichette are off the table. Cody Bellinger remains, but the pickings are slim otherwise.

It’s feeling like a very Sixery type of Phillies season as we get closer to pitchers and catchers reporting. They still have a very good roster, and will win games, they just haven’t improved a team that’s now flamed out in the NLDS two years in a row, and when you don’t give fans a reason to believe, people start to drop off the wagon.