The Philadelphia Phillies are facing major challenges in the offseason. After running away with the National League East in 2025, the Phillies were beaten in four games by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. That result was clearly disappointing, but the Phillies were the only team to register a victory over the Dodgers in the three rounds of the National League playoffs.
That's cold comfort to Phillies fans, who are desperate to see their team wins its first World Series title since 2008 and the third in the team's long history. If the Phillies are going to remain the dominant team in the division and one that at least has hope of challenging the Dodgers, they will have to make sharp decisions regarding three major free agents.
Phillies boss Dave Dombrowski in difficult position
Catcher J.T. Realmuto, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and pitcher Ranger Suarez are all headed for free agency in the offseason, and Phillies president of baseball operation Dave Dombrowski has difficult decisions to make. The Phillies clearly need all three players back if they are going to play at a highly competitive level, but finding a way to play them without sending the team into the kind of financial position that the team has avoided to this point is a major challenge.
Most observers believe that Realmuto is likely the No. 3 option for the Phillies. Schwarber is one of the premier power hitters in the sport, along with Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh. Schwarber is coming off a 56-home run season and he has averaged 46.8 homers during his four seasons in Philadelphia.
The 32-year-old Schwarber is no longer on the upside of his career, but he should be steady for the next few years. Dombrowski should be confident that a four-year deal with the left-handed slugger will bring the Phillies a consistent level of production.
The left-handed Suarez ranks as the Phillies No. 3 starting pitcher behind Christopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo. Suarez finished last season with a 12-8 record, a 3.20 earned run average and 151 strikeouts in 157.1 innings.
Suarez, 29, is definitely worth keeping as one of the team's starting pitchers.
Realmuto is still a terrific player, but he has reached the age of 34. That is an age where most catchers find it difficult to go behind the plate for 125 games or more. Dombrowski has to decide if he believes Realmuto can maintain his excellent level of play for at least two seasons.
Realmuto had a solid season in 2025, slashing .257/.315/.384 with 12 home runs and 52 runs batted in. He played in 134 games, but his production was less than it had been in 2022 and 2023 when he played 139 and 135 games, respectively.
Realmuto is far better than other catching options
In addition to his offensive numbers, he is still an elite defensive catcher. He is highly skilled at keeping the opponent's running game in check. His pop time regularly ranks as the best in the game.
If the Phillies don't bring back Realmuto, the other free agent options on appear to be Christian Vazquez and Sal Perez. Vazquez, 35, has not caught as many as 119 games since the 2022 season. Perez is 36 years old and its difficult to see him playing for any other team than the Kansas City Royals.
Rafael Marchan is the backup catcher, but he does not appear to be a viable alternative. While the 26-year-old should be in the prime of his career, he slashed .210/.282/.305 in 42 games with 2 home runs and 13 RBI. There is no reason to think he could be a full-time catcher for a contending team.
Phillies need to make three-year, $60 million offer to Realmuto
The Phillies catcher signed a five-year, $115 million offer with the Phillies in 2021. That is far too long a term to consider at this point in his career.
The Phillies would probably like to make Realmuto a two-year offer, but the catcher would almost certainly want a four-year contract. There's a clear compromise there on a three-year deal.
Realmuto has been earning an average of $23 million per season and that appears to be too much to offer considering the other free-agent issues the Phillies are facing. A new three-year deal that averages $20 million per season would allow Realmuto to have a positive feeling and would secure the catching position for the team.
