November 12, 2026
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
Phillies president Dave Dombrowski is ready to make more significant changes for 2027, starting with a new hitting coach.
In a few weeks, barring a shocking agreement between the owners and players, MLB's offseason will take a sudden and indefinite hiatus.
The Phillies, as well as every other team, are sort of stuck in a holding pattern. If free agents aren't making deals, and teams are shy to make trades without knowing what baseball's financial structure will look like, it's possible very little business gets done before the current CBA deal expires on December 1.
Dave Dombrowski knows the Phillies have a lot of issues they need to address, and through reports and quotes from Dombrowski himself, we're getting a clearer picture of what the team intends to do to remain in contention for 2027.
Here's a look at some of the inferences and projections we can make based on the writing on the wall.
A few things aren't changing at all. The five starting pitchers will be back — Cris Sánchez is fresh off his second consecutive NL Cy Young runner up (Jesús Luzardo got fifth place). Jhoan Duran is fresh off a runner-up finish for NL reliever of the year, and he'll anchor a bullpen expected to experience an overhaul. And Zack Wheeler not surprisingly won comeback player of the year at the league's yearly award ceremony Wednesday night.
Soon-to-be sophomore Justin Crawford is probably starting in centerfield, J.T. Realmuto will be the everyday catcher, backed up by Rafael Marchan, and Bryson Stott will be starting in the infield, though it's to be determined whether he'll play second, third or shortstop.
The DH will be Kyle Schwarber most days, though Dombrowski shared that Bryce Harper, slated to start at first base again, will get a few dozen starts as the DH with Schwarber starting at first.
"Schwarbs is very open to playing more first base," Dombrowski said back in October, estimating he'd play around 30 games there. "So what we'll end up doing is, we've never really done this before in the past, in the beginning of Spring Training, Schwarbs will take some — he'll work at first base."
The goal, of course, is to keep them both as fresh as possible as they enter their mid 30s.
The Phillies need an outfielder who can hit consistently and with power. The top hitters in free agency aren't good fits for a glaring reason — they're over 30, and they want four-year deals or longer. Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena would be fantastic options for the Phillies, but the team is wary of inking them each through age 36 or longer.
Japanese triple-crown winner Teruaki Sato is in his 20s, is an elite hitter already, and if the Phillies can finally break the seal on signing a Japanese free agent, he could be a staple for a contending roster. Here's what Scott Lauber from the Philadelphia Inquirer had to say on Sato and the Phils from the GM Meetings in Las Vegas:
And although Sato played primarily third base in Japan, he also has experience in left field.
“He’s a wonderful player,” said Dombrowski, holding his cards as close as ever, especially in such proximity to a Vegas casino.
The Phillies are among many teams that scouted Sato in person. A non-Phillies evaluator described him as a “very fair third baseman, meaning it’s below-average” and suggested left field is “probably his best position” to cover up defensive shortcomings.
One source said teams that are considering Sato’s power bat have indicated they “want to use him where they have [positional] holes.” [Inquirer.com]
Jon Heyman from the New York Post is also reporting the same thing.
Sato could play left, with Crawford in center and a platoon in right, which would currently include Brandon Marsh against righties and a free agent or Derek Hill against lefties. The Phils could also move Turner to the third outfield spot if he doesn't improve defensively at short.
Let's project that the Phillies land their whale in Sato, and the outfield is constructed as we mentioned. If Sato isn't at third base, and if Alec Bohm signs elsewhere, as expected, the Phillies need a new infielder.
Top prospect Aidan Miller had a very good fall league performance and is expected to compete for a starting job in spring training. He played third base in the AFL where he had a 1.038 APS over 16 appearances. He had the highest on base percentage (.557) and drew the most walks (25) of any player in the league.
“I’ve said this before and I mean it: Aidan Miller would have played with us last year — and he’d have been a good player for us last year at some point,” Dombrowski told media members at the GM meetings (h/t Inquirer.com). “...he’d be a really important piece for us because he brings youthfulness, he brings athleticism, he walks, [and] that’s in addition to his pure abilities of driving the ball, which he has. It would be great for us.”
Miller, as a rookie, would get paid the league minimum — which would allow the Phils to be more flexible in pursuing Sato or any other free agents they need. If he earns the third base job, which the team is banking on, he'd allow Trea Turner to stay at shortstop (at least for now) and Stott at second.
Reports have also signified the Phillies are looking to sign a utilityman to challenge Turner to earn his shortstop role, and it could be former Brave Ha-Seong Kim.
There hasn't been a ton of intel on this yet but not surprisingly, the Phillies are focused on adding a reliable left-handed, back of the bullpen arm. Their bullpen was one of the biggest reasons they faltered at the end of 2026.
There’s early interest in the left-handed relief market at the GM Meetings.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 11, 2026
Sources say the Mariners, Phillies, Nationals, Royals, and Cardinals are among the teams engaged.@MLBNetwork
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