December 04, 2024
Kate Frese/For PhillyVoice
Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies need to figure out September.
The Phillies seem to be rumored less and less to be making a big splash this offseason.
It's early. And things can happen quickly as the winter progresses, but the Phillies are not among the teams Juan Soto is said to be considering. The Phillies are reportedly not in on any of the big starting pitchers in free agency, nor the Japanese hurlers thought to be heading to the United States. They are not among the teams rumored to be interested in trading for Nolan Arenado, and they are really not thought of as players for Willy Adames and Alex Bregman right now.
The one rumor that did seem to have legs — the Phillies interest in trading for White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochett — is also losing steam with more teams kicking the tires now.
After back-to-back postseason meltdowns, following a World Series run the year before, the Phillies are under a lot of pressure to do something to improve the roster, or at least change it up somehow. They have almost the entire 26-man roster set to return for 2025, save fora few relievers and bench guys, and it's one of the reasons why Alec Bohm's name is swirling on the trade block.
While it seems unfathomable to believe there isn't a big move, or a few of them, on the horizon, perhaps there are a few options for the Phillies to shake things up internally before next spring?
This one comes from the Phillies' manager himself, Rob Thomson, who was looking inward at his lineup-related decisions during the 2024 season and how he can do better next year during his year end media conference.
"The lineup construction, we're gonna go through that and try and figure out a better way to score runs on a consistent basis a little bit more," Thomson said. "Is there a different way? Is it best to have Kyle [Schwarber] in the leadoff spot? Don't know... We've won a lot of games with him in the leadoff spot. So we gotta really think about this."
Schwarber has been a unique leadoff hitter, one who set the single-season leadoff home run record last season but also a hitter who is a career .227 hitter when batting in the one-spot in his career (503 games).
Would those 151 homers he hit as a leadoff man yield more RBI if he was further back in the lineup? Trea Turner's on base percentage last season, .338, is a tick below Schwarber's career .339 OBP as a leadoff man. Bryson Stott sees lots of pitches. Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas have speed. There are other ways the team can go. Maybe it's time to try a new approach.
When he made the move to first base on a full-time basis last February, Bryce Harper made it clear he didn't expect to go back to the outfield again in his career. But never say never should be the motto for this Phillies team, and Inquirer beat writer Scott Lauber made a compelling case for why Harper in right field would be the best move for the team this offseason:
"But given the landscape of outfield offense and the class of free-agent first basemen (Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, even Paul Goldschmidt on a potential one-year deal) and possible trade candidates (Tampa Bay’s Yandy Díaz, Cleveland’s Josh Naylor, Boston’s Triston Casas, and Texas’ Nathaniel Lowe), a case can be made that Harper is even more valuable in the outfield, at least in 2025." [Inquirer.com]
In addition to opening up other ways to improve the offense, and the defense, it could also allow the Phillies to shuffle their alignment a bit. Alec Bohm could move to first base where he'd be less of a liability on defense. The Phils could move Turner to third, allowing their best infielder Bryson Stott to move to shortstop. It would all start with Harper, and it would be a move that a team this close to contending should be considering.
Earlier this week, we detailed some chatter that Phillies free agent reliever Jeff Hoffman was getting interest from teams wanting to put him back in the starting rotation. It's a trendy move that has produced some quality starters in recent seasons. The Phillies could consider doing the same thing with All-Star reliever Matt Strahm, who started 10 games for the Phils in 2023 and who has done it 35 times in his MLB career.
Strahm was light's out as a reliever in 2024, posting a 1.87 ERA in 62.2 innings. He's under contract through 2026 with a team option, and for a front office that might be spending a ton of money elsewhere, perhaps this is a savvy cost-saving move that will allow them to bring in some new blood in the bullpen while saving on one of the most expensive rotations in MLB history.
He also could be a perfect temporary starter for a couple of months while the top pitching prospect in the farm system, Andrew Painter, gets ready to potentially jump to the majors sometime during the summer.
Or, the team could just let the future start right away, giving Painter a real shot to earn the fifth starting spot in spring training and not blocking him with a big free agent signing.
Painter had Tommy John surgery almost two years ago, but looks to be fully healthy. He was excellent in the Arizona Fall League last month, appearing in six games and 15.1 innings with a 2.30 ERA and 18 strikeouts to four walks. If Painter comes to Clearwater this healthy and on his game, the Phillies could have an in-house solution for their fifth starter problem from last season.
As of right now, the Phillies don't have a right-handed pitcher who can act as a closer under contract. Hoffman and Carlos Estévez are both free agents. Perhaps it's time to hand the keys to the ninth inning over to homegrown Kerkering, who has been dazzling for parts of two seasons.
The 23-year-old had a 2.29 ERA in 63 innings with a 5-3 record and excellent strikeout rate. He also has been extremely successful late in games:
| Inning | IP | ERA |
| 7th | 27.2 | 3.25 |
| 8th | 11.2 | 0.77 |
| 9th | 7.0 | 1.29 |
The sample sizes are small, as Kerkering is entering just his third season in the majors, but the decision to make him the closer, at least when matchups call for a righty, would help the Phillies once again, economize this offseason. They could focus on getting specialists to fill out the bullpen without needing to pony up dough for an expensive free agent closer.
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