The Phillies are heading into another winter with a familiar challenge: too much talent at the top, not enough certainty everywhere else.
Philadelphia’s 2026 season ended with a thud. After winning the NL East in 2024 and 2025, the club had to grind through all 162 games just to grab the National League’s final postseason spot, then ran into the Braves in the Wild Card round and went home. It marked three straight years without a playoff-series victory, a harsh result for a roster built to win right now.
The payroll picture tells the story. Trea Turner is owed $190.9MM through 2033, Jesús Luzardo $135MM through 2031 with a club option for 2032, Kyle Schwarber $120MM through 2030, Bryce Harper $118MM through 2031, Aaron Nola $98.3MM through 2030, Cristopher Sánchez $98MM through 2032 with a club option for 2033, Zack Wheeler $42MM through 2027, J.T.
Realmuto $30MM through 2028, Brad Keller $11MM through 2027, and Tim Mayza $2.75MM through 2027. On top of that, the Phillies have a long list of option calls to sort through, including Garrett Stubbs, Brandon Marsh, Jhoan Duran, Bryson Stott, Tanner Banks, Derek Hill, Rafael Marchán, Bryan De La Cruz, and Orion Kerkering.
Before the front office really got rolling, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski handled one piece of business by locking in manager Don Mattingly on a two-year deal earlier this month. Philadelphia went 79-55 after Mattingly replaced Rob Thomson in late April, a stretch bettered only by the Brewers, Rays, and Dodgers.
How much credit Mattingly deserves is up for debate, but the Phillies clearly liked what they saw. Dombrowski had also spoken with former Red Sox manager Alex Cora again this fall after making him his top choice back in April.
He also reached out to former Phillies Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez, and all three passed. In the end, he decided to stick with the manager already in place.
Two other coaches will not be back. Hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson are out, and the changes come after a season in which the offense and defense both slipped.
The Phillies finished 19th in runs scored, 22nd in OPS, and 28th in wRC+. Only Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber were clearly above league average at the plate, while Alec Bohm, J.T.
Realmuto, and Trea Turner all put up especially poor offensive seasons. Defensively, Harper, Bohm, and Turner were among the worst at first base, third base, and shortstop, and Bryson Stott also regressed by several fielding metrics.
Carlos Mendoza has already been hired to replace Dickerson, and former Red Sox hitting coach Peter Fatse will reportedly take over for Long. Both coaches will be central figures this winter, especially as the Phillies try to get Turner back on track after he was an MVP-vote player as recently as 2025.
That’s the larger issue facing this team. Philadelphia cannot simply bank on bounce-back seasons from its stars and expect the lineup to sort itself out.
Harper, Schwarber, and Turner were already being asked to carry too much of the offense in 2026, and the results were disappointing. The farm system may not be ready to solve things either.
Aidan Miller is getting close to the majors, but it would be a reach to pencil him into the starting lineup right away. The 22-year-old shortstop missed time with a back injury and played only four minor league games in 2026.
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 🡒]