The first day of the Major League Baseball Meetings brought nothing magical to the Phillies, so neighboring Disney World need not worry.
Phillies’ Free‑Agent Landscape
Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Ranger Suarez remain for sale in the free‑agent market, and President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and general manager Preston Mattingly pulled no trades in a very quiet first day.
The leading contenders for Schwarber’s services appear to be the Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and his hometown Reds. It was reported Sunday night by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal that the Pirates made a four‑year offer worth over $100 million. That doesn’t appear to be a serious threat to offers that will probably go to five years and approach the $150 to $160 million, or more, mark.
Many gathered for the meetings still believe the Phillies to be the front‑runners to land the National League’s MVP runner‑up, and to bring back Realmuto, who will be 35 entering the regular season. If that is the case, it would certainly appear to be another “run it back” season for an organization that has made the playoffs each of the past four seasons but been eliminated in the first round each of the past two.
Dombrowski on the “Run It Back” Debate
“I don’t like that expression,” said Dombrowski of “running it back” in a sit‑down with the local Phillies media.
“We’re not running our club back. There’s already some changes (with Justin Crawford in the mix) and (Aiden) Miller is getting close to playing. When I say that, I’m not so sure that when you win 96 games, that you should really look to have to do a lot of things differently. But you’re always looking to get better so it’s very dependent upon if you sign guys, how much money you spend, who else is available. If somebody’s better than what you have then by all means we’re open‑minded to it.
I think (Alec) Bohm’s going to have a much better year offensively. He was hurt last year for a time period. He drove in close to 100 runs two years before that. I think he’s much closer to that type of hitter than he was last year. I think that’s a pretty good addition in itself right there. It’s hard to find right‑handed hitters. I’m not sure how it will fall. We’ve explored all different type of options.”
Dombrowski reiterated what he’s been saying since last season about the power‑hitter and clubhouse leader:
“I’m just not sure what’s going to happen,” he said. “We continue to have that interest and there’s optimism but the reality is at this point is I don’t really know. I don’t really know.”
He added that the organization has communicated its need for clarity:
“I think that we’ve properly expressed that (they want clarity soon),” he said. “The one thing that I would not have wanted to do is that I want those guys to know how much we respect them, how much we’d like to have them back. At some point you have to move some things forward. I think that’s been properly communicated. I’m not saying that we’re sprinting forward with a lot of different things, but that’s been properly communicated that we’re prepared to shift if we need to.”
Position‑by‑Position Assessment
Dombrowski said the team has performed a thorough job on every position:
“We have done very, very thorough job, I would say thoroughly on every position, so it’s not just catching, but any position that we might think we’ll have a hole or a void,” he said. “We’re prepared. We’re ready to move in any position with priority rankings.”
Catcher
Realmuto is a three‑time All‑Star and a treasured presence in the clubhouse. The Phillies don’t appear to have a viable option to replace him, and the guess is that he’ll be back behind the plate for the next four years, if possible, but if not?
Outfield
“We’ve got work to do, is what we need to do,” said Dombrowski of the outfield. “Really, we’ve got a couple of options with Marsh and the situation that we’ve talked about with Crawford, we’re going to give him that opportunity to make the club and we feel good about it. Rojas is out there. We’ve got Kemp who can go out there and play. We’ve talked about trying to find a change of scenery for Nick (Castellanos). Really, we’ve got work to do, is what it comes down to. We continue to try to make things happen.”
He also said the team is not looking to move Trea Turner from shortstop or Bryce Harper from first base at this time, and lauded Turner’s defensive play.
Bullpen
Dombrowski mentioned adding three more arms to the bullpen: Jhoan Duran, Matt Strahm, Tanner Banks, Jose Alvarado and Orion Kerkering.
Trade Market and Other Moves
On the trade market, Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte has been linked in some reports to the Phillies, but that would probably require the organization giving away a prospect or two that they may not be comfortable in parting with.
The Phillies also continue to have interest in bringing Don Mattingly as their bench coach.
Free‑Agent Interest
If Schwarber should move on, Dombrowski, Mattingly and company must have backup plans that may or may not include Pete Alonso, the all‑time home run leader in Mets history. Kyle Tucker is a free‑agent outfielder that is drawing interest from almost everyone. Cody Bellinger would certainly lend a great glove and bat to a Phillies outfield that is certainly going to look different from last season.
Other Notes
- Pete Alonso was in Orlando for the meetings.
- Jeff Kent, who holds the record for most home runs by a second baseman with 377, was introduced as the most recent Hall of Fame inductee after being voted in by the Contemporary Era Committee and mentioned Phillies legend Dallas Green as someone who taught him how to play the game during an interview session.
- When asked if an extension for Rob Thomson had been discussed, Dombrowski said: “You would know that would happen when we would make an announcement but we’re not at that spot.”
- The Phillies’ manager Rob Thomson is scheduled to meet with the media Tuesday afternoon.
Key Takeaways
- The Phillies are holding their ground as MLB meetings begin, with no trades yet and key free agents still on the market.
- Dombrowski remains open to a Schwarber signing but is uncertain about the outcome and wants clarity soon.
- The organization is assessing every position, with a focus on catching, outfield and bullpen depth.
- Trade interest includes Ketel Marte, and the team is also eyeing a bench‑coach hire in Don Mattingly.
The meetings continue through Thursday, and the Phillies’ front office will likely reveal more details as the week progresses.
Closing
The Phillies’ front office has set a clear agenda: secure their core players, evaluate trade options, and prepare for a competitive 2026 season. The next few days will determine whether the team can keep its current stars and add the missing pieces needed to push past the first‑round exit that has haunted them for the past two playoff appearances.
Key Takeaways
- The Phillies are holding their ground as MLB meetings begin, with no trades yet and key free agents still on the market.
- Dombrowski remains open to a Schwarber signing but is uncertain about the outcome and wants clarity soon.
- The organization is assessing every position, with a focus on catching, outfield and bullpen depth.
- Trade interest includes Ketel Marte, and the team is also eyeing a bench‑coach hire in Don Mattingly.
