Phillies executive says it’s ‘probably impractical’ for team to retain all four key impending free agents

PHILADELPHIA — Dave Dombrowski will have some tough decisions to make this winter.

The Phillies fell in the National League Division Series once again, so the offseason started earlier for their president of baseball operations than he would’ve liked. Dombrowski announced Thursday during Philadelphia’s end-of-season news conference at Citizens Bank Park that manager Rob Thomson and his entire coaching staff will return in 2026, with an additional coach being added for next year as well.

Now, the attention will return to the roster.

After running back an awfully similar squad from 2024 into 2025, the club will face additional uncertainty heading into next season as four important players enter free agency. Three longtime Phillies staples in designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, catcher J.T. Realmuto and starting pitcher Ranger Suárez were all in the final year of their contracts, and trade-deadline acquisition Harrison Bader has a mutual option for next season that seems poised to be declined by the player. The Phillies will have to choose who to keep around and how to replace the ones who leave.

“We have others that are free agents, but those are really the four key guys for us,” Dombrowski said. “So bringing them back, not bringing them back, we’d love to have them all if it worked out, but it’s probably impractical that we’re going to have all four of them back.”

Schwarber, who exploded for a National League-leading 56 home runs and major-league-best 132 RBIs this year, is a priority for the Phillies. He’ll turn 33 years old next season and could command a large deal for a player who’s used almost exclusively in the DH spot. But it’s hard to imagine the Phillies being able to replicate Schwarber’s power production should he sign anywhere else.

Realmuto, 34, had the worst full offensive season of his 12-year career in 2025, but he still caught 134 games and will be one of the top catchers in free agency. Both Thomson and Dombrowski spoke highly of the backstop’s work with the team’s pitching staff, and Realmuto had a strong showing at the plate in the NLDS.

The left-hander Suárez had another productive season for the Phillies after getting a late start due to a back issue. He’s a bit of a throwback, a soft tosser who can cruise behind his control. Suárez has been a playoff weapon for years for Philadelphia, but an already strong Phillies rotation and durability concerns could make the team let him walk.

Bader had a career year with his bat, and he soared upon being traded to the Phillies from Minnesota. His offensive and defensive abilities in center field raised the floor for Philadelphia’s outfield, and the team missed Bader when he got hurt during Game 1 of the NLDS.

Additionally, David Robertson, Max Kepler, Jordan Romano and Walker Buehler will become free agents. Dombrowski said it was unlikely that Kepler would return and that Robertson will probably not pitch at the start of next year after signing with the Phillies midway through this season. Romano finished the season on the injured list after putting up one of the worst seasons by a reliever in franchise history, and it would be tough to imagine a reunion with Buehler after his cameo with the team.

The Phillies have a club option for next season on reliever José Alvarado, who missed 80 games due to a performance-enhancing-drug suspension and got hurt upon his return. Dombrowski said he’d be “surprised” if the lefty is not back in Philadelphia, either under that deal or a revised one.

With veterans departing, Philadelphia could rely on some prospects and inexperienced contributors to fill the gaps in 2026. “We also have some young players that we’re going to mesh into our club and leave open,” Dombrowski said. “I’m not going to declare that anybody has a job, but there will be some people that we’re really open-minded to being with our big-league club next year coming out of spring training.”

Dombrowski mentioned Otto Kemp, who played with the Phillies this season, and top outfield prospect Justin Crawford as players who could push to make the team. He didn’t rule out infielder and former first-round pick Aidan Miller either. Maybe the power-hitting Gabriel Rincones Jr. could come into play at some point.

Top pitching prospect Andrew Painter, who struggled with his command in his first season after Tommy John surgery, never made the big leagues in 2025. He should be able to pitch for the Phillies next year.

If some younger players can step up in 2026, it could help the Phillies remain as competitive as possible in the event that they give large contracts to players like Schwarber and/or Realmuto. Owner John Middleton has been a spender, but the team won’t be built totally around big-name free agents.

“We have a very substantial big-league payroll, and I don’t see that that’s going to change,” Dombrowski said. “John is very supportive of that. We have a good club with a lot of good players, but you don’t have unlimited.”

The Phillies possibly could look to shed some salary in trades as well, and the $20 million remaining on Nick Castellanos’ contract comes to mind after Dombrowski said “we’ll see what happens” in the outfielder’s future. But the team would probably have to eat at least a portion of the money in any Castellanos deal.

The exact moves will come to fruition a bit deeper into the offseason as the Phillies identify their targets. But no matter who exactly returns and what mix of old and young the team enters next season with, Thomson is confident that the staff above him will have the club moving in the right direction.

“I’m bullish on this team,” Thomson said. “I really am, partly because we have a great front office, great owner, who are going to go out and try to make this team better.”