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Royals Outright Nick Pratto, Nelson Velazquez; Phillies Claim Carlos Hernandez

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The Royals have cleared three spots on their 40-man roster, according to a report from Anne Rogers of MLB.com. The club placed first baseman Nick Pratto, outfielder Nelson Velazquez, and right-hander Carlos Hernandez on waivers. Hernandez was claimed by the Phillies, while both Pratto and Velazquez cleared waivers and have been outrighted to Triple-A. The Phillies subsequently announced they’ve designated right-hander Tyler Phillips for assignment to make room for Hernandez on the roster.

Hernandez, 28, is a hard-throwing righty who signed with the Royals out of Venezuela and made his pro debut back in 2017. He climbed the minor league ladder before eventually making it to the majors during the 2020 campaign, although his five-appearance cup of coffee was one to forget with a 4.91 ERA and 6.40 FIP in 14 2/3 innings of work. Nonetheless, he served in a swing role for Kansas City the following year and found success in that role, pitching to a 3.68 ERA and 4.08 FIP across 85 2/3 innings of work. That seemed to hint at a fairly bright future in store for the right-hander, but things didn’t work out that way as Hernandez struggled badly over the next two years with a 6.21 ERA in 126 innings of work as he struck out just 19.8% of opponents while walking them at a hefty 11% clip.

Those struggles were enough to spur a full-time move to the bullpen for Hernandez in 2024, and the results were a clear improvement. On the surface, his numbers looked excellent as he pitched to a 3.30 ERA with a 3.50 FIP in 30 innings of work. With that being said, it can’t be ignored that Hernandez also allowed three unearned runs, struck out just 20.9% of his opponents, and struggled badly at Triple-A when not in the majors with a 5.40 ERA in 26 2/3 innings of work. Most concerning was his walk rate, which ballooned to a career-high 12.4% last year. Those issues left Hernandez without a guaranteed roster spot headed into Spring Training, and with no minor league options left the Royals had no choice but to place him on waivers when his 6.97 ERA in 10 1/3 spring innings did not justify a spot in the club’s bullpen.

That gave the Phillies the opportunity to swoop in an add a high-velocity arm off waivers, though they had to part ways with Phillips in order to do so. The 27-year-old made his big league debut with Philadelphia last season and struggled to a 6.87 ERA in 36 2/3 innings of work split between seven starts and one relief outing. The Phillies will have one week to either trade Phillips or attempt to pass him through waivers. If he goes unclaimed, the club can outright him to the minors as a non-roster depth option. Meanwhile, Hernandez figures to enter the club’s bullpen as a possible long relief option alongside Joe Ross and Taijuan Walker, though the latter could be ticketed for a return to the rotation if Ranger Suarez opens the season on the injured list.

As for Velazquez and Pratto, both are young hitters who have shown promise at points in their careers but have struggled to find consistency at the big league level. Velazquez was acquired from the Cubs at the 2023 trade deadline in exchange for right-hander Jose Cuas and impressed in 40 games down the stretch with the club before stumbling to a lackluster .200/.274/.366 slash line in 64 games last year. Pratto, meanwhile, was the club’s first-round pick in 2017 and once a consensus top-100 prospect, but he’s failed to hit in the majors so far with just a .216/.295/.364 slash line across 144 games at the big league level. Both players will now serve as non-roster depth for the club this year and try to play their way into another big league opportunity at Triple-A.

Phillies Option Garrett Stubbs; Rafael Marchan Will Be Backup Catcher

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The Phillies announced Thursday that they’ve optioned catcher Garrett Stubbs to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In doing so, they all but confirmed that switch-hitting Rafael Marchan will be their backup catcher.

Stubbs, 31, is the far more experienced of the two and performed better in limited spring action, but Marchan is out of minor league options. Going with Stubbs, who’s in his final option year, would’ve required removing Marchan from the 40-man roster. A 26-year-old switch-hitting catcher with sound defensive skills would hardly have been a lock to pass through waivers. The Phils opted to preserve their catching depth by giving Marchan the opening day roster nod.

Sending Stubbs to Triple-A is possible right now, but if he’s called to the big league roster for a couple months — say, in the result of an injury to Marchan or J.T. Realmuto — the situation could become more complicated. Stubbs has 4.120 years of MLB service. He’s 52 days shy of reaching five years. If he were to accrue those 52 days in 2025, he’d reach the point where he cannot be optioned unless he consents to the move. Having a pair of backups who can’t be optioned could prove problematic and result in a situation where the Phillies likely have to part with one of their backups. We’re a ways from reaching that point, but it’s a possibility at some point in 2025.

For now, the Phils will hope Marchan can continue at the pace he’s displayed in his fleeting MLB looks across the past three seasons. He’s tallied 121 plate appearances in that time and slashed .279/.333/.477. That’s plus production for any hitter but massive output for a catcher, though Marchan’s Triple-A work doesn’t necessarily support the notion that he can maintain that. He hit quite well in Lehigh Valley in 2023 but struggled at a .229/.340/.297 pace with the IronPigs in 2024.

Overall, Marchan is a lifetime .238/.328/.328 hitter in 216 Triple-A games. Despite the lackluster Triple-A performance, with Realmuto entering the final season of his contract, the Phillies understandably don’t want to risk losing a controllable, switch-hitting catcher whose defensive skills they appreciate and who has hit well in limited MLB work. Keeping him on the roster always seemed the likeliest outcome.

Stubbs has been the Phillies’ primary alternative to Realmuto in recent seasons, though he hasn’t garnered more than 187 plate appearances in any season. He’s a .222/.305/.324 hitter in 433 plate appearances with the Phillies but draws above-average grades for his throwing and solid marks for blocking balls in the dirt. Stubbs is a .272/.369/.404 hitter in a near-identical sample of Triple-A plate appearances to Marchan.

The Athletic’s Matt Gelb chatted with Stubbs and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski about the decision. Dombrowski acknowledged that it was a difficult conversation to have with Stubbs, who is beloved in the clubhouse, draws praise from the staff for his game-planning and receiving, and is being sent down for factors largely out of his control.

Offseason In Review: Philadelphia Phillies

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After winning the NL East for the first time in 13 years, the Phillies had their quietest offseason since Dave Dombrowski took over as president of baseball operations. Some will say the Phillies didn’t need to make any major moves, considering that almost all of their key contributors are returning for another year. Others will argue they are playing a dangerous game by largely running it back, allowing the Mets and Braves to gain precious ground. Is this team moving in the right direction heading into 2025?

Major League Signings

2025 spending: $22.5MM
Total spending: $22.5MM

Trades & Claims

Option Decisions

  • None

Notable Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

The Phillies have enjoyed continued success under manager Rob Thomson, so it came as no shock when they began their offseason by extending the skipper through 2026. The team was also quick to confirm that Thomson’s full coaching staff would return in 2025, although they later lost assistant pitching coach/director of pitching Brian Kaplan to the Diamondbacks. Philadelphia’s pitching staff was arguably the best in baseball during Kaplan’s tenure working under Caleb Cotham (2022-24). The Phillies will hope that Cotham’s new second-in-command, Mark Lowy, has just as much success. In an additional personnel move, the Phillies promoted assistant GM Preston Mattingly to vice president and general manager. Those roles were previously held by Sam Fuld, who will remain with the organization in a new role on the business side of operations. 

At the same press conference in which Dombrowski announced Thomson’s extension, the POBO spoke the words that became the defining refrain of the Phillies’ offseason: “We just have to be open-minded to exploring what’s out there for us, talk to some clubs and see what ends up happening. That process hasn’t started. Sometimes you trade good players for good players” (per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki). 

Needless to say, that quotation led to much speculation about the Phillies making a major trade to shake things up. In particular, Alec Bohm was the subject of several trade rumors. The Royals, Mariners, Angels, and Athletics were all reported to have some degree of interest in the third baseman at one time or another. Coming off an All-Star campaign, Bohm’s value hasn’t been higher since he finished runner-up for the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year. However, there seemed to be a disconnect between how highly the Phillies valued Bohm and how badly any potential suitors were hankering after his services. For instance, the Phillies reportedly asked for Mason Miller from the A’s in exchange for Bohm, which quickly shut down any negotiations between the two teams (per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal). 

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Matt Strahm Resumes Throwing, Questionable For Opening Day

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Phillies left-hander Matt Strahm was shut down for close to a week due to soreness in his throwing shoulder, but restarted his throwing progression this weekend.  Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Strahm threw from 90 feet yesterday and 75 feet today, and Strahm already feels like he is close to being ready for the Phils’ Opening Day roster.

Strahm said he felt discomfort in his shoulder early in camp, but nothing seemed amiss until his velocity was down during his second spring outing.  An MRI revealed both inflammation and a bone bruise in his throwing shoulder, but no structural damage.  After some medication and two examinations from the team doctor, Strahm was given the green light to resume throwing, and his shoulder was feeling good following the two long-distance games of catch this weekend.

It isn’t yet clear whether or not Strahm will be fully ready to pitch by the time camp ends, or if the Phillies could place Strahm on the 15-day injured list just as a precaution.  Philadelphia’s early-season schedule could work against Strahm in this sense, as the Phillies have three off-days in the season’s first 12 days.  As Lauber notes, a minimal 15-day IL stint would therefore translate to only nine missed games for Strahm, when also factoring the three days of backdating available on any IL placement.

The Phils aren’t likely to take any risks with Strahm, arguably the team’s key bullpen arm.  Since coming to Philadelphia during the 2022-23 offseason, Strahm has been outstanding for the Phillies as both a fill-in starter in the first few months of the 2023 campaign and then as a shutdown reliever.  Working exclusively out of the pen last season, Strahm delivered a 1.87 ERA, 33.3% strikeout rate, and 4.6% walk rate over 62 2/3 innings.

Even a fairly brief IL stint might have some impact on Strahm’s future contractual status.  Initially signed to a two-year, $15MM contract, the Phillies were already impressed enough to sign Strahm to a new extension last March, locking him up for $7.5MM in guaranteed money this season, and a club option worth at least $4.5MM for 2026.  That option vests at a $7.5MM guarantee if Strahm pitches at least 60 innings and passes a post-season physical, so missing nine games could hamper Strahm’s chances of hitting that 60-inning threshold.

Poll: Should The Phillies Extend Kyle Schwarber?

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Just over a week ago, reporting indicated that the Phillies and slugger Kyle Schwarber have engaged in “broad” conversations about an extension. That came not long after Schwarber expressed a desire to stick in Philadelphia beyond the life of his current contract, which expires at the end of the coming season. While no updates about the status of talks between the sides have been made public since then, it was just over a year ago that the Phillies agreed to an extension with pending free agent Zack Wheeler after reports of mutual interest between the sides gave way to radio silence as the sides hammered out a deal. Things have been similarly quiet regarding Schwarber’s teammate and fellow possible extension candidate J.T. Realmuto, as the sides reportedly have mutual interest in an extension as of last month with few details having emerged since then.

Getting back to Schwarber, it’s understandable why the 32-year-old would have interest in sticking in Philadelphia long-term. Aside from the team’s on-field success, which has seen them capture the NL pennant in 2022 and follow that up with 90- and 95-win campaigns the past two years, Schwarber himself has found an impressive level of consistency in Philadelphia. Across three seasons in a Phillies uniform, he’s slashed .221/.344/.488 with a wRC+ of 128 while never posting a figure below 120. That’s not only a substantial improvement over his career 119 wRC+ prior to arriving in Philly, but the results are also far more consistent on a year-to-year basis: his wRC+ figures prior to joining the Phillies ranged from as low as 91 in 2020 to as high as 146 in 2021.

Aside from the success both Schwarber and the team have enjoyed over the past three seasons, Schwarber may be hoping that avoiding the open market could afford him longer-term stability. The veteran has always been a lackluster defender, and in 2024 he spent virtually the entire campaign at DH. There’s been talk of Schwarber getting more reps in the outfield (or perhaps even at first base) this year, but the market has proved harsh in recent years for players like Schwarber regardless of whether he’s viewed as a bat-first corner option or a pure DH. Veteran DH J.D. Martinez resorted to taking one-year deals with the Dodgers and Mets during both the 2022-23 and ’23-24 offseasons, and he remains unsigned in March for the second consecutive year. Other defensively limited players like Pete Alonso and Anthony Santander ended up with contracts that fell below expectations this winter, while Schwarber’s longtime teammate Anthony Rizzo has seemingly struggled to get any sort of tempting offer this winter.

That’s not to say Schwarber is necessarily doomed to the same fate of underwhelming offers on the open market, of course. Teams are almost always willing to pay for truly elite talent in free agency, and Schwarber’s 131 wRC+ over the past four seasons is good for 25th in baseball over that timeframe. Those numbers are only slightly ahead of Alonso, who ranks 29th with a 129 wRC+, but it’s worth noting that Alonso faced questions about his future production after back-to-back down seasons. Meanwhile, Schwarber’s 2024 was nothing short of excellent as he slashed .248/.366/.485 with 38 homers and a career-high 3.4 fWAR. Another strong season from Schwarber in 2025 would surely line him up for a healthy contract in free agency, even if his age and defensive profile would likely inhibit his ability to land a lengthier contract.

There’s both pros and cons to the idea re-upping with Schwarber from the Phillies’ perspective as well. Schwarber offers rare left-handed power and exceptional consistency for a player with his skillset, but it’s not hard to see why an aging Phillies club might prefer to go with a younger alternative with strong defensive skills rather than continue to trot out a team that relies on both Schwarber and Nick Castellanos as regular fixtures of the lineup in 2026. Schwarber’s strikeout-heavy approach could be cause for concern in theory, but the club is more than capable of balancing that out with more contact-oriented hitters like Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, and Trea Turner.

Perhaps the strongest argument for keeping Schwarber in the fold is the lack of clear upgrades available in free agency next winter. Unless the Phillies opt to splurge on an aggressive pursuit of either Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Kyle Tucker, they’ll be hard pressed to find a better hitter on the market next winter than the one they already have. Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, and Cody Bellinger (if he opts out) are among the best hitters in the next tier of free agency next year, and while all three are solid players, none of them come close to offering the reliable offensive impact that Schwarber has given the Phillies over the past three years.

Is that impact enough to live with the high strikeout rates and lack of defensive value on what would likely be a two- or three-year extension? Have your say in the poll below:

Phillies “Checked In” On Pete Alonso During Offseason

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Before Pete Alonso re-signed with the Mets, the Phillies were among the teams that “checked in” on the first baseman’s free agent market, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes.  Rather than make the jump elsewhere in the NL East, Alonso returned to Queens on a two-year, $54MM deal that allows Alonso to opt out after the 2025 season.

This is the first time the Phils’ interest in Alonso has been made public, though Bryce Harper dropped some hints earlier this week when he was discussing his willingness to eventually move back to his old right field position.   “When Pete was on the block still, I kind of sat there and was like, ‘Hey, why not?’ ,” Harper said.  “When we talked about it, I kind of just reiterated to (the Phillies) and Scott (Boras) that I’m willing to move out there if it’s going to help us.  I love playing first base.  It’s been great.  But if it’s going to help us win, I’d go back out there [to the outfield].”

Despite Harper’s stance, there isn’t any indication that the Phillies made any serious push towards Alonso, or that their interest might have been anything more than due diligence.  As a big-market, free-spending team, the Phils have the relative freedom to explore signing just about any available free agent, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is no stranger to splashy acquisitions.  If anything, it might have been more unusual if Philadelphia didn’t at least consider Alonso, particularly (as Harper noted) once February rolled around and Alonso remained unsigned.

Alonso’s hopes at landing a lucrative long-term contract didn’t work out, leaving Alonso and agent Scott Boras (who also represents Harper) pivoting to shorter-term deals that included an opt-out clause.  The Blue Jays reportedly offered Alonso a three-year deal worth roughly $80-$85MM, but the slugger instead took the shorter contract from New York with the higher average annual value.

Because Alonso ultimately preferred to remain in Queens anyway, it’s safe to guess that he probably wouldn’t have jumped to a division rival if the Phillies had offered the same contract structure as the Mets, plus a few extra dollars.  Hypothetically, if Alonso had gone to Philadelphia, Harper would’ve moved into right field, making for a crowded situation in the Fightins’ outfield.  With Kyle Schwarber locked in as the everyday DH, Alonso at first base, and Harper getting everyday at-bats in right field, Nick Castellanos and new signing Max Kepler would’ve been squeezed into a platoon in left field.

Signing Alonso even at that relative bargain price also wouldn’t have exactly been a bargain in luxury tax terms.  The Phillies are already projected (via RosterResource) for a tax number of roughly $307.5MM in 2025, which is over the maximum penalty tier of $301MM.  The Phillies have paid the tax in each of the last three seasons, so the repeater penalty on top of the penalty for exceeding the $301MM threshold would’ve cost Philadelphia a 110% surcharge for every dollar spent above the $301MM total.

The number of big contracts on the Phillies’ books could explain why the club had a relatively quiet winter, as the Phillies made a few mid-tier signings (Kepler, Jordan Romano, Joe Ross) and swung one prominent trade to acquire Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins.  Still, after their playoff disappointment in 2024, the Phils were expected by some to perhaps be more aggressive in making one more headling-grabbing move as something of a final touch to put the roster over the top.

Checking in with Alonso now, however, might’ve been a move to really lay groundwork for next winter, assuming he triggers his opt-out clause.  While the Phillies have designs on signing Schwarber to an extension, his departure would open up a bit more flexibility on the roster and on the payroll, perhaps opening the door for Philadelphia to pursue Alonso or another big bat.

Alonso told Heyman that he is happy to back with the Mets, and he has “no regrets” about how his free agency developed.  He also noted that bigger-picture concerns overshadowed any worries he had about the lingering nature of his free agent stint, as Alonso spent much of his winter overseeing the repair of his home in Tampa.

“Hurricane Helene wiped out our house.  It just puts things in perspective,” Alonso said.  “Nothing really seemed that big of a deal after losing our house.  It’s like, what else?  OK, we have to wait a few extra few weeks.  OK, so what?“

Bryce Harper Willing To Return To Outfield To Accommodate Future First Base Addition

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Bryce Harper hasn’t played the outfield in a long time but is willing to head back out there if the Phillies find a big first base addition. “I talked to (the Phillies) this offseason about that, just in case a guy was available (at first) that we needed to have, needed to get,” Harper said to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “I’d be more than open to it if we had a guy like that, who was going to change our lineup or change the demeanor of our team. They like me at first base. But I’d go out there to have a guy who was going to play first base and hit 35 or 40 homers.

“When Pete (Alonso) was on the block still, I kind of sat there and was like, ‘Hey, why not?’ When we talked about it, I kind of just reiterated to (the Phillies) and Scott (Boras) that I’m willing to move out there if it’s going to help us. I love playing first base. It’s been great. But if it’s going to help us win, I’d go back out there.”

Harper spent many years as an outfielder but hasn’t been out there in a while. He was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow in May of 2022. He wasn’t able to throw but served as the club’s designated hitter until he underwent Tommy John surgery in November of that year. He again served as the designated hitter once he initially got healthy in 2023. After that, the Phillies put him at first base and have kept him there.

That means it’s now been almost three years since his last outfield appearance. Regardless, Harper tells Rosenthal that his main goal is to win a World Series and he wants to do whatever it takes to help the club achieve that goal.

It’s an intriguing tidbit, given the potential impact on future markets. As Harper mentioned, he first broached the subject when Alonso was lingering on the market unsigned this winter. Nothing came of that, with Alonso eventually returning to the Mets, and there are no notable first basemen left unsigned at this point. But this coming winter, Alonso could be back out there since he has an opt-out in his two-year deal with the Mets. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also didn’t reach an extension with the Blue Jays and is slated for free agency this coming winter as well.

Whether the club wants to go down that road remains to be seen. Even before the surgery, Harper’s outfield defense was questionable. Outs Above Average gave him a grade of -29 from its inception in 2016 through 2022. Defensive Runs Saved has Harper at +8 as an outfielder in his career, but since he tallied +14 in his rookie season in 2012, he’s been below average overall since then. Given that he’s now 32 years old and has been away from the grass for a few years, he would face a challenge in being better than that going forward. At first base, however, he has +8 OAA in his career and +6 DRS.

There’s also the larger roster construction to consider. The Phils have seemingly been committed to keeping Harper at first, so much so that they told Rhys Hoskins they wouldn’t be able to bring him back as he hit free agency after 2023. Since then, they have had Harper at first and Kyle Schwarber at designated hitter. Schwarber is slated for free agency after 2025, though there seems to be some mutual interest in getting an extension done. Even if Schwarber isn’t back in 2026, Nick Castellanos would be a logical candidate to move into that role, since his contract runs through ’26 and his defense isn’t well regarded.

Hypothetically, signing Guerrero to a deal of a decade or longer could lead to long-term awkwardness on the roster. Harper is already 32 and will be 33 next year, with his contract running through 2031. In this hypothetical, he and Guerrero would be on the same roster for six years, from 2026 through 2031. By 2027, both Schwarber and Castellanos could be gone, perhaps allowing Harper and Guerrero to share first base and the DH slot at that point, though that would give the club very little flexibility for a five-year stretch. Most clubs these days prefer to have some wiggle room to cycle other players into the DH spot in order to manage season-long workloads and nagging injuries.

With Alonso, perhaps the hypothetical fit is a bit easier to see, depending on his 2025 season. He is obviously hoping to bounce back and find a stronger market next winter, but his age will still cap the length of his deal even if that happens. While Guerrero is just about to turn 26 this month, Alonso is already 30 and will be turning 31 next offseason. He didn’t seem to find any clubs willing to make a long-term investment in him this winter, so perhaps that will be true again going into 2026.

Regardless, all of his is contingent on the Phillies taking Harper up on his willingness to head back out to the grass. Perhaps this will end up being a moot point but it’s possible this could lead to some interesting rumors next winter. It’s also theoretically possible that Guerrero and/or Alonso are available at this summer’s deadline. Theoretically, the Phillies could acquire one of them and move Harper to the outfield, though a midseason trade is perhaps is even harder to see since Harper wouldn’t have an offseason and spring training to prepare for the outfield move.

Phillies, Kyle Schwarber Have Had “Broad” Extension Talks

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The Phillies and Kyle Schwarber have had “broad” discussions about a contract extension this spring, writes Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Schwarber had told reporters a couple weeks ago that he was open to conversations. The slugger indicated at the time that he was unaware of any ongoing negotiations. It now seems they’ve opened talks, but Gelb writes there’s no indication of an imminent deal.

Schwarber is entering the final season of his four-year free agent deal. The $79MM investment has paid off handsomely for the Phillies. He has hit .221/.344/.488 with 131 homers in a little more than 2000 plate appearances. Only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have hit more home runs over the last three seasons.

The two-time All-Star has one of the sport’s most extreme offensive approaches. He draws tons of walks with huge power while striking out in almost 30% of his trips to the plate. While it’s an unconventional profile for a leadoff hitter, Schwarber has been an impact presence at the top of the lineup.

Philadelphia would clearly take a hit to their offense if they let Schwarber walk. The question is what kind of investment they’re willing to make to retain a bat-first player into his mid-30s. Schwarber turns 32 next week. An extension would cover his age-33 seasons and beyond. He started five games in left field last season. Retaining him would probably force the Phillies to keep Nick Castellanos in right field for 2026, the final season of his less successful five-year contact. Castellanos could otherwise move to DH next season.

Schwarber is taking some first base reps in camp this year. He could step in for Bryce Harper on occasion throughout the season, which would be his first action there since he logged 75 innings for the Red Sox in 2021. He’s likely to continue getting a few scattered starts in left. He’s not quite an exclusive designated hitter, but the majority of his work will come as a DH. He’s a well below-average defender in left field.

The Phils will pay Schwarber $20MM for the upcoming season. He’d be eligible for a qualifying offer next winter. He’d be a very likely QO recipient if he has a typical year. That’d entitle the Phillies to 2026 draft compensation if he walks, but it’d be a pick after the fourth round because of their luxury tax status. That’s of modest value to a team that’s squarely in win-now mode.

Another four-year deal would be a tough sell at Schwarber’s age. Corner bats and/or designated hitters have recently been held to three years on contracts starting at 33 and above. That can come at a solid annual value. Teoscar Hernández received a deferred $66MM guarantee to re-sign with the Dodgers on a three-year deal.

While Hernández is a year younger than Schwarber will be next offseason, the Phils’ slugger is younger than Christian Walker and José Abreu were when they landed three-year free agent deals. They brought more to the table defensively (especially Walker), but none played a premium position. Schwarber’s offensive consistency puts him above the likes of Jorge Soler and Mitch Haniger, each of whom landed a bit north of $40MM on three-year deals at age 32.

Even if Schwarber is limited to three years, his next contract should come with a higher annual value than the $19.75MM average on his current deal. The Phillies already have six players on deals that’ll pay at least $18MM in 2026. Zack Wheeler is making $42MM annually through ’27. Harper, Trea Turner, and Aaron Nola are on significant contracts running into the 2030s. The Phils face potential free agent departures of Ranger Suárez and J.T. Realmuto after this season. They’ve reportedly shown some interest in a Realmuto extension as well.

Philadelphia’s competitive balance tax payroll this year is close to $308MM, according to RosterResource. That puts them in the highest penalization tier. They’ve paid the tax in three straight seasons, so they’re facing the top level of repeat penalties. Their 2026 tax estimate drops to $185MM, but that doesn’t account for arbitration raises for the likes of Alec Bohm, Jesús Luzardo, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh.

Weston Wilson Out At Least Six Weeks Due To Oblique Strain

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Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including Matt Gelb of The Athletic) today that infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson has been diagnosed with a strained oblique that will keep him out of action for at least the next six weeks.

Wilson, 30, was widely viewed as the favorite for the final spot on Philadelphia’s Opening Day bench. Either Rafael Marchan or Garrett Stubbs will occupy one spot as the club’s backup catcher behind J.T. Realmuto, while Edmundo Sosa and Johan Rojas are locked into bench spots already as well. Wilson appeared to be a likely candidate for that final spot due to his right-handed bat that could serve as a complement for Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh in the outfield, as well as his ability to play all four corners and even second base as needed.

The 30-year-old’s big league opportunities have been fairly limited to this point in his career, but the club will surely miss his bat off the bench. Wilson’s done nothing but hit when given the opportunity in the majors, slashing .288/.375/.490 (139 wRC+) for his career including 98 plate appearances last year where he slashed .284/.347/.489 (130 wRC+). Wilson’s career .388 BABIP has propped up his production somewhat to this point, and it’s certain to come down as he gets more opportunities in the majors. With that being said, even the 110 wRC+ Wilson posted at Triple-A last year would be an asset on a Philadelphia bench that lacks much offensive presence.

Unfortunately for Wilson and the Phillies, they won’t get the opportunity to see what he can do as part of the bench mix to open the season. With Wilson now off the table as an option, an opportunity has been created for other players to step into the role. Center fielder Cal Stevenson offered decent production at the plate (100 wRC+) in a brief cup of coffee with the Phillies last year, but his left-handed bat would be somewhat redundant in the club’s outfield mix and he lacks the versatility to play the infield. If the club was going to add a lefty bat to its bench mix, Kody Clemens would seem to be the more natural fit given his experience at all four infield spots and the outfield corners as well as his decent showing in 120 plate appearances with the Phillies last year. While he hit just .219 with a lackluster .258 on-base percentage during that time, he showed plenty of pop with five homers, nine doubles, and a triple that allowed him to post a decent 92 wRC+ overall.

Of course, replacing Wilson with another righty bat would likely make the most sense. Gelb suggests that the injury to Wilson figures to “considerably” improve the odds that 26-year-old infielder Buddy Kennedy makes the club’s Opening Day roster, and it’s not hard to see why. A fifth-round pick by the Diamondbacks in 2017, Kennedy made his big league debut back in 2022 and split 2024 between the Tigers and Phillies organizations. He hit .190/.308/.381 (95 wRC+) in 26 big league plate appearances last year, but more important than his performance in that small sample size was his excellent work for the Phillies at Triple-A Lehigh Valley last year.

In 300 plate appearances, Kennedy slashed an excellent .294/.400/.500 with a 13.7% walk rate that nearly matched his strikeout rate of just 15.0%. If Kennedy can offer anything close to that level of plate discipline in a bench role, he’d be a very valuable bench piece for the club this season. Kennedy has played exclusively second and third base to this point in the majors but has experience at first, shortstop, and left field in the minors. That at least leaves the door open for the club to rely on him as a right-handed complement to Kepler in left field, which likely would’ve been Wilson’s most prominent role.

While it seems likely that the Phillies would prefer to give the final bench job to one of the hitters already on their 40-man roster, there are at least a handful of non-roster invitees who could receive consideration for a bench job. Second baseman Christian Arroyo had some success in the majors with the Red Sox in 2021 and ’22, while outfielder Oscar Mercado has had intermittent success in the majors with Cleveland and St. Louis in the past. Both players are less versatile than what the club may be looking for off the bench, however, and other non-roster veterans like Rodolfo Castro have fairly limited track records in the majors themselves.

Kyle Schwarber Interested In Extension With Phillies

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The Phillies are entering 2025 with a team that looks a whole lot like the one they finished the year with in 2024, with Jordan Romano, Max Kepler, and Jesus Luzardo being the club’s only major additions. While the club’s core group of players has been very consistent throughout this run of playoff appearances over the last three seasons, this year could be the final one with that level of consistency as Ranger Suarez, J.T. Realmuto, and Kyle Schwarber are all staring down free agency come November. On the other hand, the Phillies faced similar situations with Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler in the recent past but managed to keep both players in the fold, re-signing Nola in free agency last winter and following that up by extending Wheeler last spring.

It seems possible that the club could employ a similar tactic with at least some of the core pieces set to depart after the current season. Realmuto and the Phillies reportedly have mutual interest in working out an extension, and now Schwarber had thrown his hat into the ring as well. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Schwarber told reporters that he hasn’t heard of any extension talks between his camp and the Phillies but that he would have interest working something out to stay in Philadelphia. Gelb adds that Schwarber did not set any sort of deadline for extension talks to take place and suggests that the Phillies could “prioritize” getting a deal done with Schwarber out of their crop of pending free agents this spring.

That Schwarber may be the club’s priority to keep in the fold long-term is somewhat surprising given the smoke surrounding Realmuto, but it’s easy to see why the Phillies would want to keep Schwarber in the fold. Since arriving in Philadelphia prior to the 2022 season, Schwarber has emerged as one of the most reliable sluggers in the game. While his 29.4% strikeout rate is certainly higher than is desirable, he’s made up for it by walking at an incredible 15.3% clip and clobbering 131 home runs during his time as a Phillie. That’s good for third among all big leaguers over the past three seasons and just one long ball behind Shohei Ohtani for second place.

That sort of offensive production would be extremely difficult for the Phillies to replace, particularly if the club isn’t able to secure a superstar position player like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Kyle Tucker in next winter’s free agent class. Whether that’s enough incentive for Philadelphia to overlook Schwarber’s propensity for strikeouts and complete lack of defensive value and aggressively pursue and extension remains to be seen, but Gelb goes on to add that Schwarber is slated to work on improving his viability as a defensive option for the Phillies this spring. Schwarber came up as a catcher but wasn’t able to stick behind the plate and eventually moved to left field, but he was always an awkward defensive fit on the grass and played just five games in the field last year, spending the entire rest of the 2024 campaign at DH.

Now, Gelb reports that Schwarber is not only planning to play a bit more outfield in 2025 than he did last year, but that he’s also begun working with the club’s infield coach to learn first base. Schwarber has a little bit of experience at first over the course of his career, most of which came with the Red Sox back in 2021. In total, Schwarber has spent just 75 innings across 11 games at the position in his career. If he can make himself into a viable part-time option at the position, however, that could lessen the workload of fellow slugger Bryce Harper at the position while also potentially making him a more attractive free agent should the sides not work out an extension. Josh Naylor, Luis Arraez, and perhaps Pete Alonso are among the best first basemen aside from Guerrero set to be available in free agency next winter, and Schwarber offers a more robust offensive profile than any of them aside from Toronto’s superstar.

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