Phillies Notes Schwarber Realmuto Suare

The Phillies are keeping manager Rob Thomson in place for the 2026 season, but there are still some potentially notable changes coming to the roster. , and are among the teams most notable free agents. s health outlook is a question mark after he required thoracic outlet surgery. With Suarez and Wheelers status uncertain at best and coming off an ERA north of 6.00, Philadelphias rotation isnt the typical powerhouse to which weve become accustomed in recent seasons. First and foremost, it sounds as though retaining Schwarber will be one of the tops top priorities if not the very top item on president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowskis to- Jackson Wasserstrom Jersey do list. that executives with other clubs expect owner John Middleton to do whatever it takes to keep Schwarber in the City of Brotherly Love. that Schwarber, wholl turn 33 next spring, is planning to seek a five-year contract in free agency. Thatd be unheard of for a designated hitter at his age, but Schwarbers 2025 season was the best of his career. He clubbed an NL-best 56 home runs en route to a .240/.365/.563 slash. Schwarber topped the century mark in both runs scores and runs driven in for a third consecutive season. Schwarbers 14.9% walk rate was 6.5 percentage points higher than the 8.4% league average, and while Schwarbers 27.2% strikeout rate was also considerably higher than average (22.2%), it was also his lowest since 2021. The NL home run leader has also made immense gains against left-handed pitching in recent seasons, shedding platoon concerns that followed him earlier in his career. Schwarber was actually better against lefties than righties, hitting same-handed opponents at a .252/.366/.598 against clip. If one the number of position players commanding a five-year free agent deal beginning in their age-33 season, well there arent any. In fact, the to sign even a four-year deal beginning at age 33 or later are ($56MM), ($78MM) and ($92MM). All are at least four years old now (10, in Zobrists case), and Schwarber is coming off such a prodigious offensive showing that he should top all of them with ease. Gelb also suggests that Realmuto is expected to seek a three-year deal a hefty ask considering hell turn 35 next spring. Again, looking to our Contract Tracker to find (or older) reveals only two: s three-year, $26MM deal to return to the Phillies all the way back in 2013 and s three-year, $60MM extension back in 2017. Realmuto showed in 2025 that theres still plenty left in the tank, but his days as a premium all-around catcher also look to be in the past. His .257/.315/.384 batting line was 6% worse than league-average, by measure of wRC+, but still checked in a bit better than that of the average catcher, specifically. Hes still plus when it comes to controlling the run game (29.7% caught-stealing rate), but Realmuto has now registered negative blocking grades (according to Statcast) in consecutive seasons and has seen his once-vaunted framing grades decline sharply. The market offers little in the way of starting-caliber catchers, which could work to Realmutos benefit. and are arguably the most notable alternatives on the open market. The former has posted nice rate stats in the batters box but has primarily operated as a backup. The latter has now had back-to-back poor seasons at the plate. Potential non-tenders (e.g. , ) could add some change-of-scenery candidates to the list of options, and the trade market will surely offer a few names to ponder (e.g. , , ). Turning to Suarez, he made no secret of his hope to remain in Philadelphia. that the left-hander was among the last players to leave the clubhouse after the 2025 season ended. He told reporters at the time: I dont want it to be the last year with the team. The 30-year-old Suarez has been a rock in the Philly rotation, averaging 26 starts per season acro s the past four years and pitching to a 3.59 ERA in that time. Hes been even better in the playoffs, with a sub-2.00 ERA in his postseason career. Suarez doesnt throw especially hard, sitting 91-92 mph with his sinker, but he still consistently posts better-than-average strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates. As it stands, the Phillies rotation will include Nola, and . The team hasnt yet provided a timetable for Wheelers recovery from his thoracic outlet procedure. is signed for $18MM in 2026, but the Phillies would probably welcome the opportunity to shed the some or all of that remaining sum. Top prospect could make his long-awaited debut next year, but he posted uneven minor league results in his return from Tommy John surgery. was traded to the Twins in the swap. Retaining Suarez would go a long way toward solidifying a rotation with an atypical number of red flags, but the Phillies already project for a nearly $228MM payroll before making any additions or bringing back any potential free agents ( ). Its hard to imagine them keeping all three of those prominent impending free agents particularly when there are other needs elsewhere on the roster. Seaonta Stewart Jr. Jersey