The Phillies have plenty to sort through this offseason, but the possibility of a major swing is sitting right there in the background.
Philadelphia is coming off another early playoff exit and enters the winter with clear areas to improve. The roster is getting older, and the front office appears aware of that reality. There are free agents who fit, but another move for a player in his early 30s may not be the cleanest path forward.
That doesn’t mean the Phillies will sit out the big names. They have never been afraid to spend, though the smarter move might be spending with a little more precision. The needs are easy enough to identify, even if the team’s approach to filling them is still to be determined.
One of the biggest names on the market is Tarik Skubal, and even though starting pitching is not the most obvious hole on the roster, his talent changes the conversation. Jon Heyman reported that there could be a mystery team or two involved for Skubal, which keeps the door open for a surprise entrant.
Skubal stands alone as the top free agent available, so the usual heavyweight suitors are expected to be in the mix. The Phillies typically belong in that group when a star hits the market, and even with a strong rotation already in place, they could still make a run.
There’s also a future-facing angle here. Zack Wheeler is in the final year of his deal, and he is set to make a lot of money in 2027 before coming off the books after that. Philadelphia has already shown a willingness to invest heavily in starting pitching, with Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Jesus Luzardo, and Cristopher Sanchez all landing big contracts at one point or another.
A pursuit of Skubal would send a loud message about where the Phillies see themselves. They already have a full rotation, but a move like that could also create flexibility elsewhere, including the possibility of trading a player like Andrew Painter to address another part of the roster.
Outfield and bullpen help remain the more obvious needs. Still, chasing Skubal would be the kind of move that makes sense for a team trying to push all the way in, and it could also give Philadelphia a long-term answer behind Wheeler in the rotation.
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Harper, meanwhile, still looks like part of the core, and insider Bob Nightengale has said he and Kyle Schwarber are expected to stay put. Harper continues to produce at the plate even as his defense has drawn some criticism, which is why the real intrigue in Philadelphia is not whether the star slugger is on the move, but how far the front office is willing to go in reshaping the roster around him. [Read more 🡒]