Five pending Phillies free agents speak on time in Philadelphia, future
The Phillies have some decisions to make on a handful of key free agents.
Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, catcher J.T. Realmuto and left-handed pitcher Ranger Suárez are the big three. Arguably the best hitter available on the market, Schwarber could command a contract of more than $100 million. The Phillies have made it clear that they have strong interest in re-signing him.
2025 was the final year of Realmuto’s five-year, $115.5 contract signed prior to the 2021 season. He’ll enter the free agent market at age 34 with 132 games started behind the plate in 2025. He took a big step back offensively last season, posting a career-low 91 OPS+. Phillies pitchers have consistently praised him over the years for his preparation and game-calling abilities. It will be interesting to see how much the Phillies and other teams value his intangibles.
Of the big three, Suárez is the most likely to sign elsewhere. The Scott Boras client will enter the market at age 30 as one of the best starting pitchers available. He threw a career-high 157 1/3 innings and posted a 3.20 ERA in his walk year. Never say never, however, when it comes to a Phillies reunion. Zack Wheeler is figured to miss at least some of the regular season next year after undergoing thoracic outlet decompression surgery in late September. Andrew Painter should be up at some point. There is a world where Boras overplays his hand with Suárez and the lefty pitcher has to sign a high AAV, short-term deal with opt outs after every year. The Phillies should have some interest in that.
Harrison Bader has a $10 million mutual option for 2026 that includes a $3 million buyout that he will almost certainly decline. Max Kepler, David Robertson, Jordan Romano and Walker Buehler are also free agents. José Alvarado has a $9 million 2026 club option with a $500,000 buyout.
After the Game 4 loss in Los Angeles last week, five Phillies pending free agents spoke in the clubhouse about their time in Philadelphia and what the future could hold for them.
Kyle Schwarber
Q: You guys have had some disappointing losses to end the season over the last couple years, but how does this one feel knowing that you’re in the last year of your contract and could become a free agent?
Schwarber: Yeah, I mean, it doesn’t feel good, you know. You just make a lot of different relationships in the clubhouse. You never know how it’s going to work out, right? You just make so many personal relationships with guys. You spend (a lot) of time with these guys over the course of the year. They become family. You just never know how it’s going to go, but these guys all know how I feel about them. I got a lot of respect for the guys in here, our organization, the coaching staff, top to bottom, everyone. This is a premier organization. A lot of people should feel very lucky that one, that you’re playing for a team that’s trying to win every single year and you have a fanbase that cares and you have ownership that cares. You have coaches that care, you have everyone in the room that cares. There is no other reason, we’re all about winning. It’s a great thing, and I think that’s why it hurts just as much as any other year.
Q: Would you like to be back? Are you confident you’ll be back? Are there any thoughts about that going into the offseason?
Schwarber: I’ve always said there is going to be mutual interest between both of us. We’ll see where that takes off, but like I’ve said, I’ve seen a lot of different things in the game, but I’m looking forward to seeing when a conversation will be had and going from there.
J.T. Realmuto
Q: Do you want to be back? Do you expect to be back?
Realmuto: I’m not here to talk about free agency, dude. Don’t ask that question right now.
Q: Does it affect the way you feel with these guys right now? (Inaudible) It may be different for you.
Realmuto: I’m thinking about losing a baseball game. That’s what it feels like right now. The last thing I’m thinking about is next year. If you want to ask me about this series or my teammates, I understand that. But I haven’t thought about next year yet.
Ranger Suárez
Q: It seemed like you were one of the last guys left in the dugout looking out on the field. What was going through your head at that point? Especially not just knowing that the season was over, but maybe your time with the Phillies too.
Suárez (via team interpreter): Obviously, we didn’t want this to happen today. I mean, it’s baseball. Things happen like that. About the team, I don’t want it to be the last year with the team. It’s not up to me right now. It’s more about, you know, the team itself and my agent right now.
Q: You’ve been with the Phillies since you were 16. That’s half your life. What’s going through your mind right now knowing that there is some uncertainty about where you’ll be next year?
Suárez: Yeah, I mean, a lot of time with this team. Got to know everyone around the team. You know, obviously all the love that I shared with a lot of my teammates, a lot of the coaching staff. The team staff as well. Yeah, it’s a little tough and it’s a little hard right now to not know where to next, right?
Q: What did you love most about being a part of this core?
Suárez: I mean again, it’s the love for everyone here: the staff, the team (staff), the teammates. The good moments that we had from the 2022 playoffs and onward and for that, all the preparation that came that led us to this run of going to the playoffs. Had a lot of great things with the team happen to me and a couple bad things happen to me too during these years. You know, that’s what I take from it.
Max Kepler
Q: I know the devastation is still pretty fresh, but can you talk about how fulfilling it has been to be around this group for the last six months or so?
Kepler: Yeah, I mean, I’ve been trying to hold it together saying bye to everyone here, you know. Obviously, the baseball part is super important. This is our job, and I gave it my all in that aspect, but what, you know, got me through this year was the people in this room. And I just looked forward to hanging out with them day in, day out. Yeah, they made things easier on the whole project that we attacked together this year, and it sucks kind of thinking ahead towards the unknown because this may be the last day I spend together with this group. It’s hard to process.
Q: What do you think the future might hold for you? Do you want to be back here? Do you think about that at all right now?
Kepler: Yeah I’d love to be back, you know. It’s for (the front office to decide). I really didn’t know what free agency would entail going into this year or signing up with the Phils. But having experienced this whole year with this group of guys has probably been at the very top of my career. Just from the memories that I created with them. I have so many to break down and process. But yeah, just a great group of guys. Such a variety of characters that really moved me in a lot of different ways. So if it were up to me, I’d be back.
Harrison Bader
Q: What did you make of your time with the Phillies and the way it ended (with you) being limited, how much did that sting as you guys fall here?
Bader: Well yeah, you know, first off, obviously, it really was just an absolute pleasure getting dealt here. Just getting an opportunity to not only play alongside so many players I’ve respected for a long time, but also just in front of an incredible fanbase that really gave us a lot of support down the stretch. Something that I, you know, miss very much playing. So it really was just an absolute pleasure. And obviously, down the stretch, it’s funny. You play 162 games and you’re healthy for every single one. You know, a tiny little thing, kind of, I wouldn’t say derails that, but makes it a bit more challenging. So, you know, not the most favorable outcome. But you know, with that said, I think even with an unfavorable outcome like we had, just coming to work every single day and getting a chance to play a game I love to play alongside just a truly professional group top to bottom. Whether it’s, you know, front office personnel, coaching staff, players, it’s really hard to have a bad day when you get to go to work with those types of human beings. So I’m just extremely grateful for the opportunity, and I’m looking forward to seeing whatever is for me and my family in the future.
Q: It seemed like you fit in with this group. They kind of embraced your sayings. They said you provided a lot of energy. Could you see yourself coming back in the future?
Bader: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I’ve said this a lot, you know. I think winning baseball and winning culture and wanting to win, I think, is a universal language, and I don’t think the uniform really kind of defines that. I think being dealt into a clubhouse where a lot of guys, if you will, speak that same language, I think it’s very easy for me to fit it. So I’m just really grateful for everybody. I was just really really excited to play here. Obviously, not what we wanted, but, you know, as always, there’s always a next opportunity. So I’m just focused on that.
Phillies Nation’s Ty Daubert contributed to this report.