What's Next For The Phillies After Kyle Schwarber Megadeal

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Phillies made a statement to the baseball world on Tuesday when they resigned their superstar slugger Kyle Schwarber to a five-year, $150 million contract. But they're far from done this offseason.

Schwarber's signing was unusual in many ways. It's the largest free agent contract ever given out to a player entering his age 33 season. It's also the largest contract ever given out to a player who is primarily a designated hitter and doesn't play the field. The singular nature of the signing is certainly a reflection of confidence in how Schwarber's power will age well, but also in Schwarber's immeasurable value to the team as a clubhouse leader.

It also indicates that the Phillies believe there is plenty of gas left in the tank of their veteran core, which includes Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Trea Turner, all of whom will be 33 for the majority of the 2026 season.

Related: Phillies To Resign Kyle Schwarber To $150 Million Contract: Reports

Later in the day Tuesday, the Phillies also extended manager Rob Thomson through the 2027 season.

Here's what's next for the Phillies, as one of baseball's best teams over the past four years continues their quest to win a World Series.

Resign J.T. Realmuto

With Schwarber resigned, the team's top priority is now bringing back free agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, another key contributor whose contract expired at the end of the 2025 season.

While Realmuto had, by his standards, a down year offensively in 2025, he is still by far the best-hitting catcher available on the free agent market. His defense remains stellar. He's also intimately familiar with the Phillies pitching staff, which he guided to a historic season last year.

He'll be 35 on opening day in 2026, and the clock has doubtlessly been ticking for a while. But like Schwarber, Realmuto defies many of the trends that define players of his position and age. He has not lost significant time to injury. He does not require many rest days. He leads the major leagues in games played at catcher since 2019 with 833, nearly 70 games more than second place.

Numerous sources say the Phillies have already put out an offer to Realmuto, and he's widely believed likely to return to Philly. A two-year deal of some kind is the most likely result.

The Japanese superstar

For the first time in the short history of superstars from Korea and Japan coming over to MLB,
the Phillies are on the short list of front runners to sign one.

East coast teams have largely struggled to attract talent from Asia, as it'sfarther away from home than the West Coast, and many teams in the west have a proven history of relationships with players. But the latest star coming, Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai, is an exception.

Not only are the Phillies interested, but Imai is open to the east coast. And beyond that, Imai drew headlines earlier in the winter when he said he preferred not to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I want to take them down,” Imai said. “(Playing with other Japanese stars in LA) of course, sounds fun, but I think beating a team like that and becoming world champions would be the most
valuable thing in my life."

The internal outfield situation

The outfield is the most mysterious part of the Phillies offseason, as reunions with Schwarber and Realmuto have long seemed very likely. The Phils lost center field trade deadline acquisition Harrison Bader, whose contract expired, as well as Max Kepler.

Further, they said they plan to trade or release Nick Castellanos by spring training.

That leaves Brandon Marsh as the only outfield regular remaining from last year. They also have a trio of part timers who have all flashed significant promise: Otto Kemp, Johan Rojas, and Weston Wilson. Marsh is a lefty and the other three are righties, so the Phillies could play some kind of platoon on one of the outfield spots with that group.

Phillies President Dave Dombrowski has said that top prospect Justin Crawford will be given a chance to make the team in spring training. If he does, it's likely he'll play every day. That takes up a second spot.

Outfield free agents and trades

The Phillies are almost certain to add an established major leaguer to fill the third spot. That market is mixed. Resigning a third guy from last year's team, Bader, is probably the most logical choice. The Phillies chose him for a reason: they needed a right handed bat to complement a left handed-heavy lineup, and they needed a true center fielder. Even if Bader's bat regresses, he's an elite fielder.

There are no other right handed-hitting outfielders on the free agent agent market that hit better than Bader last year, and there are no outfielders that fielded better than him, period.

There are two left-handed outfield stars available, Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker, that the Phillies have been loosely connected to. However, they've been widely seen as backups to Schwarber, and it's not considered likely by most in the industry that the Phillies would dish out a second supercontract. And adding another major left handed bat to a lineup that already includes Harper, Schwarber, Marsh, and Bryson Stott as regulars, with lefty Crawford likely added in to the mix, would make them very vulnerable to left handed pitching.

The Phillies could consider a trade to address their outfield, too. The Boston Red Sox have been rumored to be seeking to deal from their outfield surplus, with Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu the two names most often brought up. The Phillies were closely connected to Duran, specifically, at the deadline last year. While they're both solid hitters with excellent marks for their defense, they also both hit left handed.

Another player closely linked to the Phillies is Arizona Diamondbacks star Ketel Marte. While he's been a second baseman in recent years, he has experience in the outfield, and he's a switch hitter. This would be a dream scenario for the Phillies, but Arizona's asking price is thought to be astronomical. It would likely require the Phillies to surrender their top pitching prospect, Andrew Painter, in addition to multiple other major leaguers.

The bullpen and Ranger Suare

Beyond the outfield, the bullpen is the one area where the Phillies are almost certain to make an addition or two. They return a solid core of elite closer Jhoan Duran and setup men Matt Strahm, Jose Alvarado, Orion Kerkering, and Tanner Banks. There is less proven depth beyond that, but for a team with World Series aspirations, another reliable arm could go a long way. It's possible a more significant addition won't be made until the trade deadline, when the team will have a better idea of how the typically volatile relief corps is shaping up both performance and health-wise.

Ranger Suarez is the final Phillie whose contract is expiring this year. He's established himself as one of the greatest postseason pitchers in history over the past few years, and has flashed ace potential during the regular season as well. Though his overall profile is a step below elite, he's been as unhittable as Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler for long periods of the past several seasons.

Many teams have rumored interest in Suarez. The Phillies like him, but it's not known if they have the financial wherewithal to keep him, on top of all their other commitments. As the rotation currently stands they have co-aces in Wheeler and Sanchez, followed by Jesus Luzardo and Aaron Nola. Top prospect Painter and Taijuan Walker are expected to fill out the back end of the rotation.

If the Phillies don't resign Suarez, they'll likely be in the market for some back of the rotation insurance to give them added depth.