The Phillies have bigger offseason questions to answer than the starting rotation.
That’s a good place to be. Even after another short postseason run, Philadelphia can lean on a pitching staff that remains one of the league’s strongest when it’s right, and Jesus Luzardo is a big reason why. His 2026 season started with a thud, but it ended with the kind of run that puts a pitcher on the radar for something much bigger in the year ahead.
Luzardo’s early stretch was rough. He opened with a 9.00 ERA in his first start in March, then followed that with a 4.76 ERA in April.
But once he settled in, the left-hander started to look like a completely different pitcher. At times, he was simply one of the best arms in baseball.
August was his sharpest month of the season, when he posted a 1.31 ERA over 34.1 innings. September was shaping up to be even better before a shoulder injury cut his regular season short. Even with that interruption, he still finished with a 14-5 record, a 2.86 ERA and 221 strikeouts.
He also delivered when the lights got brightest. In the postseason against the Atlanta Braves, Luzardo gave the Phillies a gutsy start despite missing multiple weeks late in the year and not being fully prepared for the moment.
As Philadelphia looks ahead to 2027, Luzardo is one of the names worth watching closely. If that second-half form carries over, he has a real chance to enter the NL Cy Young conversation next season.
In Other News...
Phillies Bold Infield Idea Could Cost Bryson Stott
The Phillies are already staring at a tricky infield puzzle for 2026, and it starts with the possibility that Alec Bohm and Luis Arraez could be on the way to free agency. If that happens, the front office may have to decide whether to reshuffle the diamond again, including the possibility of Bryce Harper moving back to first base to create a cleaner fit elsewhere. It is the kind of roster planning that can change the entire shape of a lineup before spring even arrives.
One name that keeps surfacing in that conversation is Texas third baseman Josh Jung, a player who could give Philadelphia a more natural long-term answer at the hot corner. But getting him would not be a simple add, because the framework would likely force the Phillies to consider moving Bryson Stott, a decision that would carry real weight for a club trying to keep its infield balanced. Arraez could also factor back into the picture, and the challenge for the Phillies is finding the combination that improves the roster without creating a new hole somewhere else. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Backup Catcher Battle Just Got More Interesting
Rafael Marchn is giving the Phillies something useful to think about this winter. The 25-year-old catcher has opened the Venezuelan Winter League with a strong start at the plate, hitting .333/.417/.429 through seven games, a welcome sign for a player whose offense has lagged in recent major league seasons. Even so, Philadelphia has not lost sight of what makes him intriguing: his defense remains his calling card, and StatCast metrics still rate him among the better catchers in the game.
The bigger picture is simple enough for spring training. Marchn should get a chance to compete for the backup catcher job, but he is unlikely to be handed anything. The Phillies are also expected to bring in more competition at the position, which means Marchns winter progress could help him make his case, even if the final decision in Clearwater is still months away. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Make An Offensive Change Fans Will Definitely Debate
The Phillies are turning to a familiar name in the coaching world as they look for a spark on offense. Philadelphia is reportedly hiring Peter Fatse as its new hitting coach after parting ways with Kevin Long, a move that signals the club is not waiting around to see if last seasons struggles can be fixed without a fresh voice in the box.
Fatse arrives with some major-league experience after previously serving as the Boston Red Sox hitting coach, though his stint there ended in April 2026. For a Phillies team coming off a disappointing 2026 season, the hire is clearly aimed at getting more out of a lineup that never quite found its rhythm, and it figures to draw plenty of debate as fans weigh what changes should matter most. [Read more 🡒]