Stay or Go: Should the Phillies bring back Max Kepler?
Here’s Part 3 of Phillies Nation’s Stay or Go series.
Should the Phillies bring back outfielder Max Kepler this offseason? He is a free agent after signing a one-year, $10 million deal with Philadelphia last December.
Signed to play left field, Kepler struggled at the plate for much of the first half, but turned it around after the trade deadline. He finished the season in a right field platoon with Nick Castellanos with a final season slash line of .216/.300/.391 with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs.
Should the Phillies bring back Kepler? Our writers weigh in. Vote in the poll below and we’ll reveal the results for all players at the end of the series.
Previous editions of Stay or Go?
Destiny Lugardo — Site Director — Maybe
The Phillies shouldn’t prioritize a reunion with Kepler, but they should be open-minded to it. He had three good to above average months at the plate in March/April, August and September and was really bad from May to July with some big hits sprinkled in. Plan A should be re-signing Bader. Plan B is trading for a solid right-handed outfielder who could either start every day or platoon with Brandon Marsh or Justin Crawford. Plan C is to re-sign Kepler or another left-handed hitting outfielder to a cheap one-year deal. The market for corner outfielders this year is really rough beyond Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger. Re-signing Kepler to man right field with Castellanos likely gone wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Ty Daubert — Editorial Director — Go
Kepler’s improvements in the second half were beneficial for the Phillies, he was third on the team with 18 home runs and the outfielder had a decent showing in the National League Division Series. Still, he had just a .715 OPS after the All-Star break to bring his season OPS to a lackluster .691. Kepler has been a below-average hitter, according to OPS+, in four of the last five years and in seven of his 10 full seasons in the big leagues. He helped down the stretch, but the Phillies should be able to find a better option in 2026.
Nathan Ackerman — Staff Writer — Go
Kepler turning things around toward the end of the season was a nice story. It wasn’t enough to erase what was, overall, a swing and a miss on the part of the Phillies by giving him $10 million in the offseason. There’s reason to think he won’t be the near black hole he was for the first four months, but there’s not much reason to take that chance: He’s now two years removed from a productive season (his only full one this decade), and he doesn’t fit the 2026 roster well. The Phillies need right-handed-hitting outfielders, and center fielders, with Marsh and Crawford as the likeliest contributors in the outfield. Kepler is neither. It was a fine risk that didn’t really work out but was saved from being a disaster. Turn the page.
Bailey Digh — Staff Writer — Go
After a rough three-month stretch between May and July, Kepler found his footing as a platoon player in August and September, batting .250 with a .791 OPS. But going forward, it makes sense for the Phillies to move on. I don’t see Kepler fitting into the club’s 2026 ideal outfield plan. Manager Rob Thomson also said he felt his lineup was a little too lefty-heavy this year. And if the club wants Crawford and Marsh in their 2026 outfield – both are left-handed hitters – there probably isn’t a place for another lefty bat like Kepler’s in that group.