January 27, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
The Phillies offense will be almost exactly the same in 2026.
Most of the core pieces of the Phillies roster will be the same in 2026.
After winning 96 games and then losing three out of four to the Dodgers for an early playoff exit in 2025, the Phillies are essentially running it back.
Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper will anchor the offense. Cris Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo will be anchors in the starting rotation while Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler are optimistically expected to reclaim their roles as aces. Jhoan Duran will close the door as closer after Orion Kerkering and José Alvarado set him up.
But there have been a few changes. In addition to the returning roster being a year older, the team is hoping an infusion of youth, a revamped bullpen and an Adolis García reclamation project in the outfield can give the team a spark.
Are the Phillies, on paper, better or worse than they were a year ago?
Rob Thomson is back as manager after making a few questionable decisions in the NLDS, but the addition of Don Mattingly as bench coach is definitely an upgrade. In addition to over 1,000 MLB games himself, there is no doubt having a second in command with that sort of experience will help Thomson with game-day decisions and will help the veteran team compete through the long season.
A slight edge to 2026.
Last season, the Phillies had the second-oldest stockpile of hitters in baseball (30.3 average age), behind only the World Series-winning Dodgers. Rookie-to-be Justin Crawford in the outfield should help with that a little bit. But they're going to be old again. In 2025, Philly was eighth in runs scored (4.8), second in batting average (.258), and fourth in OPS (.759).
It's a lot to expect the team to improve on those impressive numbers with almost the same lineup. Kyle Schwarber will probably not hit 58 home runs again — though he is still going to hit a lot of them. Jettisoning dead weight outfielders Max Kepler and Nick Castellanos (as is expected) will help, but there is no track record for Crawford in the majors and García has a career on base percentage under .300.
They could be a top 10 offense again, but they won't be better than last year.
Depending on how you measure, the Phillies had the best, or one of the best, starting pitching stockpiles in baseball last season. No staff had more quality starts (82 of them, 52%) or innings pitched. They led all rotations in strikeouts, too. Only the Rangers had a lower starting pitcher ERA (3.53), and Philly's WHIP was fifth best in the majors. They also have J.T. Realmuto back to add his master stroke to handling the staff behind the plate.
Ranger Suárez is a Red Sox, Zack Wheeler hasn't yet thrown from the mound as he rehabs from season-ending surgery and Andrew Painter had an atrocious 2025 in the minors. There is potential for the rotation to be the best in baseball, but there are way too many ifs, and way too high a bar to clear for them to be better in 2026.
This is, again, a top 10 pitching rotation but it won't be as elite this season.
The ineffectiveness of the Phillies' bullpen was overshadowed by a potent offense and the stellar starting staff. Jhoan Duran's acquisition at the trade deadline was a huge get for the squad, and even with his role closing games down the stretch the Phillies still had a bullpen ERA of 4.27 last season, 21st lowest.
They have turned over half the pen, with more than 200 innings of relief from last year no longer on the roster — from arms like Matt Strahm, Joe Ross and Jordan Romano. Brad Keller and Jonathan Bowlan should be upgrades there, with a slew of young arms slated to fight for the final two bullpen spots in spring training.
The bullpen has a chance to be a lot less stressful and among the league's best in 2026.
Philly's defense was brutal last year — baseball reference's baseball efficiency rating had them 22nd. Castellanos exiting the team's outfield should help, he was the worst defensive outfielder in the majors. Adding Justin Crawford will help even more.
The team is still not going to be among the best when it comes to playing defense but they should have some more range and consistency in 2026.
There was no major splash this offseason, and as a result, the team probably won't be better in 2026. Add to that the seeming improvements made by other NL contenders like the Mets, Dodgers and Cubs and it certainly feels like the Phillies are behind the eight-ball. The offense is older and the pitching rotation has more question marks. A potentially more consistent bullpen isn't going to make up for that.
Even still, this is a playoff team, and could be the best team in the NL East. Painter and Crawford will have opportunities to add a spark and infusion of youth. And a lack of offseason upgrades offensively could open the door for one at the trade deadline. But the 2026 Phillies should feel quite similar to the 2025 team, with the hopes that the squad gets hot in October.
SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter
Follow Evan on Twitter:@evan_macy
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
