It came too soon — a pivotal offseason for the Phillies as they scratch their heads after an embarrassing loss to the Mets in the NLDS.
The first thing the team will need to decide is what they should do with the 26 men who got them the 2-seed in the National League with 95 wins this past season. Who should stay, and who should go?
It would be lunacy to return the entire roster. They need some changes. The bullpen was obviously an issue in the playoffs, the team did not have enough contact hitters, nor did it have the best defense in place to handle the young and feisty Mets. But just how and should the team approach these necessary changes?
Our first visit to this topic will touch on the players who are absolutely, positively not going anywhere, the untouchables.
J.T. Realmuto, C; Kyle Schwarber, DH; Bryce Harper, 1B; Trea Turner, SS; Aaron Nola, SP; Zack Wheeler, SP; Ranger Suárez, SP; Cristopher Sánchez, SP; Orion Kerkering, RP
Phillies stay or go
The stars | The bullpen | The bench | Alec Bohm | Taijuan Walker
Bryson Stott | Brandon Marsh | Johan Rojas | Nick Castellanos | Rob Thomson
Why they should stay?
As we mentioned, these nine players for a variety of different reasons are not going anywhere. For the most part, they're either superstars in their prime, or under contract for a very long time, or both.
| Player | 2025 season age | 2025 salary | Signed through |
| J.T. Realmuto | 34 | $23.8M | 2025 |
| Bryce Harper | 32 | $27.5M | 2031 |
| Trea Turner | 32 | $27.3M | 2033 |
| Kyle Schwarber | 32 | $20M | 2025 |
| Aaron Nola | 32 | $27.5M | 2030 |
| Zack Wheeler | 35 | $42M | 2027 |
| Ranger Suárez | 29 | $11.3M (estimate) | 2025 |
| Cristopher Sánchez | 28 | $2M | 2030 |
| Orion Kerkering | 24 | $0.7M | 2029 |
• Realmuto has one year left on his deal and it seems likely that they'll keep him for the final year of his contract. When healthy he's still one of the better catchers in the game, though his durability and consistency is getting worse and it might be time for the team to promote Rafael Marchán as the new backup or bring in a better No. 2.
• Harper is not going anywhere. He had a very good season and was one of the only players in the brief postseason who showed any fight.
• Turner is less beloved and can be frustrating at shortstop but he is under contract until 2033. It's more probable that he moves to third base or perhaps the outfield than the Phillies moving him anytime soon.
• Schwarber is in the Harper column — he'll be leading off next season and possibly beyond.
• Nola pitched as well as could have been expected in 2024 and is under contract until 2030.
• There is an argument that Wheeler was, in fact, the NL Cy Young this past season. He's starting on Opening Day next spring.
• Suárez will definitely be back in 2025, but after that we'll have to see. A contract extension for him might not be in the cards this offseason after his drop off in the second half – he might be pitching for one next season.
• Sánchez was one of the surprise breakouts of 2024 and he's already been extended.
• Kerkering is one of the only bullpen pieces (actually, the only one in our estimation) who is 100% going to be back next season. He is only 23, and the team desperately needs young talent on the roster.
Why they should go?
There are a few cases to be made for getting rid of some of the players above but they're flimsy and unrealistic. Perhaps the team will go in a new direction with its pitching and trade Suárez while his stock is relatively high, before an expensive extension? The Phillies only have four starters they trust heading into next year and building depth at the position is going to be a priority. They are hopeful Andrew Painter makes a leap and is ready at some point in 2025 after Tommy John surgery. They'll be targeting at least one free agent starter, you can bet on that — which makes moving Suárez a very unlikely proposition.
Realmuto was definitely the cause of plenty of consternation over the course of 2024, with a costly injury and no-show performance in the NLDS. But he has just one year remaining and there is no real suitable alternative to start for him yet. It will be very important for a Realmuto succession plan to be put into place next season, and that's a topic we'll get into when we look at the team's options in free agency and in the minors going forward. Realmuto will be playing on a contract year and will need to really show he can be the BCIB again if he wants to linger in Philly.
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