2025-26 Phillies Offseason Plan

The Phillies are once again in a transitional period, still very talented and intending to contend next year, but needing to make moves, with Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Ranger Suarez, and others set to be free agents. The good news is, they’ll have space to work with to make moves. In this exercise, I’ll be working with the upper tax limit (ie, $60 million over the first luxury tax) as a budget to remake the Phillies roster for 2026. The following details the moves I would make.

Arbitration:

• Retained:

• Luzardo ($10.4 million)

• Sosa ($3.9)

• Bohm ($10.3)

• Marsh ($4.5)

• Durán ($7.6)

• Stott ($5.8)

• Banks ($1.2)

• Marchán ($1)

• Non-tendered:

• Stubbs

• Total Cost: $44.7 million

Nothing crazy here. I think there’s a case for tendering Stubbs on a split contract, but he’s out of options and probably isn’t making the team either way.

Options:

• Declined:

• Alvarado

• Other payouts:

• Bader (declined mutual option; $3 million buyout)

• Total Cost: $3.5 million

The Phillies pay a $500,000 opt out for Alvarado, and a $3 million buyout for Bader’s declined mutual option.

During the writing of this, the Phillies picked up Alvarado’s option. This basically factors in as a $500,000 increase from the projected payouts I was going to have Alvarado get, per below.

Free Agents:

Josh Naylor - 3 years

• 2026 - $22 million

• 2027 - $22 million

• 2028 - $22 million

I know, I know, it’s not the flashiest headliner to replace Kyle Schwarber, but let me get into the weeds a bit. Firstly, I think the more and more I look, the more ill-advised a $30+ million replacement for the Schwarber spot is. Beyond that? I’m not crazy about the options. Cody Bellinger will get too much for my taste, IMO. Gleyber Torres is meh. Trent Grisham will get more as a great CF than I’d like to give him as someone who had a massive outlier season.

Enter: Josh Naylor. Coming into last season, Naylor was a Guardians cast-off more or less on a prove-it deal with Arizona. He was great for Arizona, providing a balanced approach at the plate, but also while mixing in something unexpected - opportunistic base-stealing, setting his career high for steals before the deadline. Granted, it was just 11, but what happened in Seattle was astonishing - he went 19/19 on SB attempts after the deadline.

I don’t expect Naylor to steal 30 bases again next year, but in the last three seasons he’s done something quite impressive - .300 average in 2023, 30 HR in 2024, and 30 steals in 2025. All told, he’s averaged .280/.341/.468 with 17.7 steals the past three seasons. That balanced offensive output could really help this team, and he’s still got plenty of prime left (he’s nearly a year younger than Alec Bohm, set to turn 29 in June). While not versatile, he’s fine at 1B, and can get Harper off his feet a bit, something I’d love out of the team’s next DH. That all sets up for a decent mid-term contract that gives Naylor a nice payout, but also the ability to re-test the market at 31 and earn another nice payout. I would also run this deal to 4 years if need be. Irregardless, the point about what he brings to the team remains the same - he adds some extra speed to the lineup while also still providing serious value at the plate all while affording the team some extra money to spend elsewhere.

Kazuma Okamoto - 4 years

• 2026 - $15 million

• 2027 - $15 million

• 2028 - $15 million, opt-out

• 2029 - $15 million

There is a certain math problem you have to do when you think about what this team says they will do, will have to do, and could do in the 2025-26 offseason. With a need to retain J.T. Realmuto, replace or retain Kyle Schwarber and Ranger Suarez, and with the past rumors of Alec Bohm being on the move, it’s hard to imagine a big upgrade at two starting lineup positions. Well, there is one way. Enter Kazuma Okamoto, star 3B for the Yomiuri Giants of the NPB. A power-hitting menace for the Giants for the past ten years, Okamoto brings a special blend of offensive potential that could entice the Phillies. A capable RH 3B who hits for power but doesn’t sell out, Okamoto is coming off his best (albeit abridged) season in the NPB. This move is a risk, given Okamoto isn’t proven in the MLB, but there isn’t much better upside you could get for what speculated prices for his service come out to (somewhere in the 4 years, $15 million AAV range). I’d say the risk is worth taking.

J.T. Realmuto - 2 years

• 2026 - $15 million

• 2027 - $15 million

Nothing crazy here. The Phillies need J.T., and Philly is a good spot for him. $15 feels a tad rich, but I didn’t think he’d get 3 years, and didn’t want to get too sweetheart on a 2 year deal.

Harrison Bader - 3 years

• 2026 - $12.5 million

• 2027 - $12.5 million

• 2028 - $12 million, with incentives for games played and opt-out

I tend to believe Harrison Bader won’t be the player he was in 2025 going forward. However, he did provide serious value in what he brought to the Phillies OF as a strong defender in CF who could take some heat off of Brandon Marsh. His contract feels like a tricky one, but I feel like a slight raise on his option with term could work out. He might get more in a market with less depth, but this offseason there’s some real options in CF with Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger out there. They could draw some FA interest away from Bader.

José Alvarado - 1 year with option

• 2026 - $7 million

• 2027 - $7 million team option with vesting player option at $9 million at 60 IP

The Phillies have already picked up Alvarado’s option, but as I noted above, I would have tackled the situation differently, letting him walk and agreeing to a more team-friendly deal. It’s a fairly negligible change in the financials in the end anyway.

Ryan Helsley - 1 year

• $7 million

Helsley had a tough 2025 season, there’s no denying it. Even with how much he struggled in New York, he was still less than stellar in St. Louis earlier on in the year. How much that depresses his value remains to be seen, but there’s reason to believe a one-year prove-it deal would be of interest to Helsley, and we know the Phillies like this sort of deal. While there’s shades of Romano, I tend to believe it would be hard for this to go worse, and they should hopefully have some safety nets in place this time.

Caleb Thielbar - 1 year

• $6 million

Speaking of safety nets, here’s one in the steady Caleb Thielbar. It’s a lot of lefties, I’ll cop to that, but Thielbar’s been a fascination for a while whose 2025 may have been his best campaign yet.

Michael Lorenzen - 1 year

• $5 million

It ended bad last time, but Michael Lorenzen could be just the insurance policy the Phillies need with Zack Wheeler likely to miss a decent chunk of next season. Lorenzen is coming off a tough season, but was quite good as recently as 2024. Either way, I wanted to get a starter who has past success out of the bullpen who could move there when Wheeler comes back, or another starter comes up, Like Lorenzen or Nick Martinez. There are reasons to think Lorenzen could bounce back and be more than just a fill-in too - his K rate was a new career best for him as a SP last year, as was his walk rate.

Anderson Espinoza - 1 year, split contract

• $1 million in Majors, $700,000 at AAA, opt-out of arbitration

Anders Tolhurst - 1 year, split contract

• $820,000 in Majors, $300,000 at AAA

I love the idea of trying to entice NPB and KBO guys to come over and pitch in depth roles as low-risk moves. Espinoza you may as having been a big prospect years back, but even now, he’s still just 27. His numbers the last few seasons in the NPB are decent if not spectacular - a good middle-ground to where he could provide value as SP or RP depth, but not cost much. Tolhurst, meanwhile, was a mid-season pickup that helped the LG Twins to a league title. His contract status for 2026 is undetermined, but he did well in a hitter-dominated league, and has experience in the minors in both a SP and RP role. We assume both would be paid as MiLB players for this calculation.

2026 tax calculation: $91.33333333 million

Trades:

Alec Bohm and Weston Wilson to the Angels for Chase Silseth and José Fermín

• Silseth and Fermín are pre-arb players, Bohm’s 10.3 million is moved.

The Phillies clearly want something different from the 3B position. The aforementioned Okamoto move gives the Phillies a capable and balanced bat at the position that should lengthen the order.  This is accompanied with moving on from Alec Bohm. As good a player as Bohm is, the thought is understandable, and if you can get Okamoto for $15 per, he’s probably a better value. In return, the Phillies add two arms whose values are depressed. As with any intriguing young relief-type arm, it’s hard to tell if José Fermín is a guy the Angels have no interest in moving, or a guy they’d sell high on, but I like him as an optionable arm who could pop as one of the last arms out of the pen. Silseth has injury issues, but has flashed potential in the past, and could be deployed as a SP as well. This deal also includes Weston Wilson going the other way. I think he could still have value to this team, but the numbers game could see him on the wrong side, and the Angels need INF depth in particular. They wanted Scott Kingery, right? Wilson can’t be any worse.

Nick Castellanos to the Marlins for $5 million

• $5 million savings on Castellanos for 2026

With the players’s association side-eyeing some of the cheaper teams in the league for spending little, I figured you could pawn off Nick Castellanos on his hometown Marlins for a bit of cash savings. Conversely, you could also consider a team like Cincy, who wants to make moves but not add much to their payroll. Either way, we assume Castellanos is gone and $5 million are saved.

Johan Rojas to the Rays for Mason Englert

• Both players are pre-arbitration

I suspect there is no world the Phillies make this move, and I’m not sure even I’ve truly given up on Johan Rojas ever being an effective MLB player, but at this stage, it makes sense to have him get a change of scenery, especially with Justin Crawford and Gabriel Rincones Jr. knocking down the door, and Danti Nori not far behind. Tampa makes sense as a place where he can compete with Jonny DeLuca and some other also-rans for action. Here, I tap another long-term interest, Mason Englert, as the return. Englert’s career has been odd - he missed his first MiLB seasons with injury, then saw 2020 wiped out by the pandemic. Drafted out of high school, he made AA in just his second season of game action, but was then Rule Five eligible, and selected. Suffice to say, Englert’s projection was thrown off, but last year he showed real success in the pen for Tampa an it’s AAA affiliate as a reliever, all while still in just his fifth pro season of game action. I think that track record suggests he could finally be stabilizing, and with his history as a starter in the past, his ceiling could be fairly high still. He will be 26 all of next season. Could even see the Phillies get a lottery ticket back in this deal as well.

Addition to 2026 tax calculation from trades: -$8.66 million

SP1: Cristopher Sánchez ($5.625 million)

SP2: Jesus Luzardo

SP3: Aaron Nola ($24.571429 million)

SP4: Michael Lorenzen

SP5: Taijuan Walker ($18 million)

CL: Jhoan Durán

RP: Matt Strahm ($7.5 million)

RP: Ryan Helsley

RP: Orion Kerkering ($820,000)

RP: Jose Alvarado

RP: Tanner Banks

RP: Caleb Thielbar

RP: Chase Silseth

C: J.T. Realmuto

1B: Bryce Harper ($25.384615 million)

2B: Bryson Stott

SS: Trea Turner ($27.272727 million)

3B: Kazuma Okomoto

LF: Brandon Marsh

CF: Harrison Bader

RF: Gabriel Rincones Jr. ($820,000)

DH: Josh Naylor

Backup catcher: Rafael Marchán

Bench: Edmundo Sosa

Bench: Justin Crawford ($820,000)

Bench: Otto Kemp ($820,000)

Injured otherwise-26 players:

• Zack Wheeler ($42 million)

Retained:

• Nick Castellanos ($15 million)

New acquisitions projected to start in AAA:

• Mason Englert

• José Fermín

• Anderson Espinoza

• Anders Tolhurst

Pre-ARB and guaranteed carry-overs: $168.633771 million

2026 3rd luxury tax bar: $304 million

TOTAL: $299.50710433 million

PAYROLL SPACE: $4.49289567

What I think this setup does is it makes an attempt to fill as many possible holes with the team next year. The only weaknesses of this setup are RF and the backend of the rotation. The latter problem should be aided by the return of Zack Wheeler, hopefully around June. Meanwhile, I think the team has decent OF redundancy and lineup depth to account for the uncertainty in RF. I have Gabriel Rincones Jr. listed as the starter here because he has more RF experience, but I would like to see Justin Crawford mixed in here as well. If this does not work out, it’s an easier hole to fill at the deadline.

Overall though, I think this plan, in swapping out Schwarber, Bohm, Castellanos, and Max Kepler for Naylor, Okamoto, Rincones Jr., and Crawford makes the team younger and more athletic, and adds more RH bats that can hit at the top of the order with some extra defensive flexibility. Saving some money in the construction of the lineup also allows for extra moves in the bullpen. While adding bullpen moves at the deadline isn’t too hard, I think you want to have as many potential high-end arms as you can to start the season to compensate for potential injuries and the year-to-year volatility of relievers. This plan also limits the longer-term commitments some other plans could add, while not forcing the team to sell out on older veterans that are already in decline. Overall, I think this plan balances out the team a bit more, and could vastly improve the team’s game-to-game consistency by adding more names to the roster that can be relied on.

I got a bit of a late start on this year’s addition so it is a tad frantically put together, but I like the way it turned out. Thank you for reading.

A Way Out Through (AKA, "How The Phillies Can Be Even Better in 2026")

It’s hard, it really is. The way this season ended for the Phillies stings, and it’s difficult to not lament what was probably a pretty big opportunity. In the end though, what is done is done, and all you can do is look back and learn for the future. Here’s the good news - the Phillies might just be as best equipped as anyone to crack the code and replicate the Dodgers next year. Yes, I think they’re actually pretty well positioned to be better in 2026 then they were in 2025. How? Let’s break it down.

First, let’s talk about this Dodgers team. In the end, they were probably the worst possible matchup on the pitching side for this Phillies team. An elite rotation as deep as they’d been all year with stellar arms they could throw out of the bullpen at will. Emmet Sheehan, a starter with a WHIP under 1 available for multi-inning stretches at will. Rōki Sasaki’s arsenal the envy of any closer in the 9th. And naturally the actual Dodgers bullpen, which stunk, but it just so happened that their only good arms were all lefties. It’s a setup that makes Harrison Bader being banged up sting all that much more, and a setup that makes you wish Zack Wheeler was available so you could perhaps better replicate it. These things would probably have only moved the needle so much, but with the razor-thin margins in this series, these things could really add up.

In the end, this series teaches us a few lessons. Right out, there’s an obvious handedness issue with this team - too many lefties at the top of the order. They tried to run from it, but simply could not. It would also probably benefit this team to have some extra depth in the rotation going into the postseason to better match up with LA’s ability to throw multiple starters in a game out of the bullpen. And something that really hurt this team was a lack of relievers playing above expectations this year. Tanner Banks would count, but if you look around at most successful playoff teams, they usually have a few of those guys. Ideally finding some more trustworthy depth can help you not have to keep relying on the same arms in the same spots.

Anyway, let’s talk about some of the good elements of this team that should portend well for next year. The most obvious is the rotation. Even acknowledging Wheeler’s going to miss the start of next year, they’ve got some arms returning you have to feel really good about, namely in Sanchez and Luzardo - two guys who handled a fierce Dodgers lineup - namely the top of the order - REALLY well these playoffs. You’d expect a bit better luck for that top 4/5 group just by natural positive regression, but this post series showed this team - and namely those two - could play with anyone. Losing Suarez certainly would sting, but I think this team realizes they need another SP3-type arm they can trust for next year, and they’ll make sure to get one. From there, you could work to replicate LA’s system internally. Having Sanchez, Luzardo, a new middle of the rotation starter, some likely positive regression from Nola, and eventually Wheeler’s as good a setup as you could expect, and then you have Painter as an option whenever (maybe to start the season, maybe not), and they’ve got some names internally that could conceivably factor into the mix late in the season, such as Cabrera, Wood, or Obermueller, to name a few.

The bullpen is a simple prospect. Clearing $14 million of Romano and Ross affords you some more flexibility to get one or even multiple arms you feel really good about factoring in leverage spots. Speculatively, the return and reliability of José Alvarado is up in the air. If you let him walk, that’s another $9 million free, but I could see the team bring him back at a lower dollar amount, which gives you some extra continuity and familiarity at a cheaper rate. His left-handed power out of the pen has given LAD in particular fits in the past. Bringing Alvarado back gives you Duran, Strahm, Banks, Kerkering, and Alvarado with probably $15 million plus cleared off in full season payroll out of the bullpen alone. Add some for that top 2, either via trade or free agency, and another good option to the next tier already has that bullpen looking pretty good.

In the lineup, let’s talk about some of the names we expect to return. Brandon Marsh had a miserable start to the season, but somehow finished with an OPS near .800. I think part of what you have to feel pretty good about the Brandon Marsh experience is the team knows better now than ever how best to deploy him - as a leftfielder who you play a bit touch-and-go on versus lefties. The good news, is they probably are in a decent spot to land a CF you can feel good about. I think they can get something done with Bader that works for both sides (probably a mid-term deal in the low-mid teens in millions). If not Bader, Cody Bellinger looms as an option, even if he isn’t an IDEAL CF at this stage.

I think the infield looks a bit more certain now. Bryson Stott turned a corner offensively around about mid-July, hitting .307/.376/.508 from the 23rd on. As a strong defender at least at 2B, his spot as at least a 5 game a week starter looks more certain now. If not, you still have Edmundo Sosa, who had a fantastic season, and you’ll imagine they’ll keep trying to find ways to get him in the lineup. Trea Turner…still leaves a bit to be desired at SS, though I suppose you feel better about him now. Even so, you have Stott and Sosa as redundancy, and MAYBE perhaps they move him to right field? I wasn’t as impressed as Trea’s offensive season at first, though I think that was more a matter of decreased power being a thing with him this year. I don’t see a reason really why that would keep up though, so I think him just getting back to 20 HR is not only something I would expect, but it would feel very encouraging, especially if the bottom of the lineup can be above-average at times again next year.

In regards to departures, I don’t think anyone will be missing Kepler and Casty. The former is a free agent, and whether or not they can get anything back in salary relief for the latter (Miami takes part of the contract to appease the players union?), it’s a net loss not having him at all after last year. We’ll talk more replacement ideas for the OF corners in a bit, but again, addition by subtraction here.

I think the catcher situation is fairly simple - they will bring back J.T. Yeah, he’s old for a catcher, but he’s still good behind the plate (especially when it’s not Jordan Romano “holding” runners on) and trusted by the pitching staff. Of course, the hitting probably is what it is, but the way he was striking the ball in the playoffs certainly suggests he still has bat speed. I’m a Rafael Marchán defender, but you do have to imagine they’ll look for extra support for J.T. next year. I’d throw a Luis Campusano out there as a guy that could be had for cheap who could challenge Marchán for the C2 spot.

Now, the real questions remain at 3B and DH. Bohm had a decent season, and his defense improved for sure. I get why he’s a clunky fit there, but part of the reason they were using him so high in the lineup is why it’s hard to simply move on from him - he’s simply one of their better hitters. At $10 million, they’ll probably be bringing him back. If they don’t though, they have a pretty good 3B class to work with. Alex Bregman has already been connected to them before and has plenty of postseason experience (could also use him at SS if you so desire).  Eugenio Suarez probably isn’t replicating his first half form from 2025, but he could provide good RH power at 3rd, even if you expect Bohm to have some positive regression in this category (I would say he does). Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto are also big power threats who could also fit that 3B/DH role.

And this leaves us with Kyle Schwarber. I think you can tell where I’m going with this here - the easiest button to push with this team is to make a change at DH for a handful of reasons. First, with an aging roster, having that DH position not tied down by one player is beneficial. Beyond that, this team needs to get younger and faster - I think the best way to do that is to bite the bullet and move on from a soon-to-be 33 year-old DH. Don’t get me wrong, Schwarber had a fantastic season and will be missed. The problem is, if you bring him back, what’s the big button you press to shake things up. Ultimately, even if he has another good season, he probably won’t play as well next year, and for all his past successes, Schwarber was exposed in all but two postseason games in the past two seasons, and with the team’s obvious lefty bias, I feel like you need to get a righty here. The good news is, there will be options, namely the aforementioned Bregman or Pete Alonso, and if you can’t land either, there are lefties in Bellinger or Kyle Tucker that may be better stylistic fits for this team. If you want to expand your options out a bit, the team could make a move for Bo Bichette, one of the younger names on the market, while moving Trea off SS.

If the team is moving on from multiple guys, they’ll probably have to consider making replacements internally. The good news is, they’re probably better positioned now than they’ve been in years to make potential high-impact replacements internally. Beyond the aforementioned Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford spent the entire season in AAA to great results, and industry experts seem to think he’ll have a job to lose in the spring. He could at least start with a timeshare in one of the OF spots, and actually has pretty solid numbers versus lefties, so he could see time as Marsh’s platoon partner. Aidan Miller may need to start at AAA, but finished strong, and would have went to the AFL if not for injury concerns, which leads me to believe they want him as ready as possible to start next season. He could factor somewhere into that infield mix, especially if the team considers moving Bohm, or getting Trea off SS. Beyond an expanded role for Otto Kemp, who could help provide some extra power in his 2nd year in the Majors, contact-crazed Keaton Anthony could be the Phillies answer to Luis Arraez, and don’t sleep on Gabriel Rincones Jr., who worked around a slow start and injury hangups to slash .260/.395/.475 from June on while being a great power-speed threat and dropping his K/BB rate from nearly 2.2 to just over 1.4.

And yes, there is one man I left out. I’m not going to tell you I know what the deal is with Bryce Harper, but I can afford you a few things. One, I think the team will hopefully have a better plan for dealing with the wrist problem than they did coming into this year, seeing that it lingered a lot more than they expected. And secondly, I think if they can find a way to open up the DH spot some more, they can perhaps find a way to keep him as fresh as possible going forward. Whether or not they bring back Schwarber, I’d imagine it’s on their mind. Either way, I simply refuse to write Harper off as “cooked”. I don’t think he’s winning another MVP, but I don’t think his days as an impact bat are done, and if I know Bryce Harper, I know he’ll work as hard as he can to make sure he’s not done.

In the end, there is a lot of work that this team needs to get done to actually get better than they were in 2025. That said, I really do believe this plan isn’t that hard to implement, and I think it probably fairly closely aligns with what they’re thinking about for next year as well.

2025 Phillies Mid-Season Top 30 Prospects

I wanted to make sure I got my pre-season prospects list for the Phillies out so I could at least reasonably get my mid-season list out in due order. This list has a few changes, specifically near the bottom, but there are some big climbers as well. This list is retroactive to the All-Star Break, and doesn't include new draftees seeing as the results of draft signings weren't finalized by the end of the break. I will have a separate section on these guys, as they're hard ranks at this stage anyway.

1. Andrew Painter
2. Aidan Miller
3. Mick Abel
4. Justin Crawford
5. Eduardo Tait
6. Aroon Escobar
7. Carson DeMartini
8. Otto Kemp
9. Keaton Anthony
10. Hendry Mendez
11. Gabriel Rincones Jr.
12. Jean Cabrera
13. Wen Hui Pan
14. Eiberson Castellano
15. Moisés Chace
16. Dante Nori
17. Devin Saltiban
18. Alex Binelas
19. Raylin Heredia
20. Mavis Graves
21. Griff Burkholder
22. Daniel Harper
23. José Rodríguez
24. Jaydenn Estanista
25. Charles King
26. Avery Owusu-Asiedu
27. Carson Taylor
28. John Spikerman
29. Tristan Garnett
30. Juan Amarante

No shock at the top here. Andrew Painter and Aidan Miller have both started rough on the season, but they're still the two guys I feel the best about being stars in the Majors down the line. I leaned Mick Abel over Justin Crawford at 3, but both are guys I also feel good about, just as less likely to reach the heights as Painter and Miller. Eduardo Tait, like Painter and Miller has had a meh season, but he's still quite young and still very skilled. Aroon Escobar and Carson DeMartini were guys who I needed to see more from coming into this season, and so far, they've delivered, but some higher success would move both up even more. Otto Kemp and Keaton Anthony have taken different tracks to get there, but both are former UDFAs bordering on MLB breakouts. Hendry Mendez jumps ahead of Gabriel Rincones Jr., but both are toolsy OF prospects closing in on the Majors. Jean Cabrera is a guy who I'm still a tad skeptical of the ceiling of, but his floor continues to rise. Tough seasons for Wen Hui Pan, Eiberson Castellano, and Moisés Chace from a health perspective have dimmed their prospects, but each possess impressive stuff that could eventually help the bullpen. Dante Nori and Devin Saltiban, too have slipped off of unimpressive seasons, but both are still terribly toolsy.

Things get a bit more murky at this point. Alex Binelas occupies the Keaton Anthony spot from the start of the season's list as an interesting boom-or-bust tweener type that could pop with some refinement of his game. Raylin Heredia is a bit of a divisive prospect, but if he can stay healthy, he has the upside to be a good CF. Mavis Graves and Griff Burkholder have both had miserable seasons, but they still have to be in this tier due to their upside.

At this point, there's a lot of "meh" and "who knows" for me. Daniel Harper leads this tier as perhaps the best near-term true RP prospect for the team. Jaydenn Estanista's always been a fascination of mine, and he's pitched well until a recent roadbump at Reading. Charles King's numbers as a starter are meh, though he's done better recently. I do believe the stuff is very intriguing as a RP though. Avery Owusu-Asiedu's been one of the bigger surprises in the system this season. He has a skillset that lends to a utility role. Winning the battle royale for the final spot is Juan Amarante, who beats out a group mostly of RP types. Amarante likely ends up there as well, but has started as well. However, look for a guy like Ramon Marquez to perhaps sneak into this spot eventually. He's a popular sleeper type at the very bottom of the system.

Amongst draftees, there are more than a few that can fit into these rankings, even if their current spots are kinda TBD for me. Amongst the draftees, 5 would probably make my list: Gage Wood, Cade Obermueller, Matthew Fisher, Sean Youngerman, and Cody Bowker, with Gabe Craig being one of the first guys out.

2025 Phillies Top 30 Prospects

I've been sitting on my Top 30 Phillies Prospects list for this year for a bit, but I'm working on getting my mid-season one done, so I have to get this out now if I want it out. Here's the list:Andrew Painter

1. Andrew Painter
2. Aidan Miller
3. Justin Crawford
4. Eduardo Tait
5. Seth Johnson
6. Gabriel Rincones Jr.
7. Moisés Chace
8. Wen Hui Pan
9. Eiberson Castellano
10. Jean Cabrera
11. Otto Kemp
12. Mavis Graves
13. Mick Abel
14. Dante Nori
15. Devin Saltiban
16. Griff Burkholder
17. Keaton Anthony
18. Andrew Walling
19. Casey Steward
20. Daniel Harper
21. Matt Kroon
22. Max Lazar
23. José Rodríguez
24. Michael Mercado
25. Estibenzon Jimenez
26. Tommy McCollum
27. Tristan Garnett
28. Christian McGowan
29. Aroon Escobar
30. Rafael Lantigua

As has usually been the case, I generally lean towards more MLB ready players and higher floor players, even if that's something I've moved away from some. The top 16 were fairly obvious, and itw as a bit more confusing from there. The top 4 were far from surprising, but I did have Seth Johnson at 5, because my belief was his floor as a good RP was quite high, though the results so far this year suggest that may not have been true. Gabriel Rincones Jr. is an intriguing all-around prospect, and, Moisés Chace, Wen Hui Pan, Eiberson Castellano, all have big-league stuff that should see them up eventually. Jean Cabrera was a little lower because he's always been more a floor guy than ceiling. Otto Kemp was a hard rank at the beginning of the year, but his production last year was enough to get him in the middle of this tier. Mavis Graves landed in above Mick Abel, whose slide ended here after an awful 2024. Graves is more a floor guy as well, but there's reason to believe he could elevate that, while Abel's so far made some of the changes that should see him higher on the list in the next version. Dante Nori, Devin Saltiban, Griff Burkholder all sat in the next group, and I gave Nori the edge because of his floor in the OF.

The next group is a fall-off from the first one, and very fungible. Keaton Anthony is the most ineteresting, and would slot in higher were he not of an odd archetype as a contact-first 1B. Casey Steward is an interesting name I clocked in Spring Training (I tend to try not to take too much out of ST, granted, but his stuff was electric) who seems like he could be a great RP or maybe even a SP. Max Lazar was a guy I quite liked last year, but his struggles late had me wondering if he could really be anything more than a fungible RP. The rest of the 30 is composed generally of pitchers who I sit a little higher on that most, and of course Aroon Escobar, who was low on my list simply because I needed to see more (and I have indeed seen more so far).

The Definitive Flyers Trade Deadline Tierlist

The 2025 NHL Trade Deadline is almost here, and because the Flyers still haven't done anything yet, I have time to post the tierlist of guys I think they should trade still!

Yeah, it doesn't shock me I'm not employed by the Flyers with a list like this, but I do genuinely believe they should be trading everyone in the top 2 rows if they're serious about rebuilding, and ideally the next row as well in the offseason. But they won't. Of course. Well, hopefully they do something...

2024 Phillies Pre-Season Prospect Rankings - Rookie Levels

I neglected to finish my Phillies pre-season prospect lists, so here are my lists for the rookie levels and of unassigned players:

FCL:

1. Devin Saltiban
2. TJayy Walton
3. Junior Marin
4. Mavis Graves
5. Avery Owusu-Asiedu
6. Kehden Hettiger
7. Pierce Bennett
8. Enruque Segura
9. Yemal Flores
10. Micah Ottenbreit

DSL:

1. Eduardo Tait
2. Starlyn Caba
3. Maxwel Hernandez
4. Angel Liranzo
5. Jaeden Calderon

Unassigned:

1. George Klassen
2. Luke Russo
3. Lachlan Wells
4. Jalvin Arias
5. Jake Eddington
6. Ethan Chenault
7. Charles King
8. Marty Gair

The top names on each list here stand out. Devin Saltiban was the Phillies 2nd pick last year and has serious physical tools that saw him draw comparisons to Hawai'i baseball and Phillies legend Shane Victorino. Eduardo Tait had a monster season in the DSL and doesn't turn 18 until August of 2024. He's already well-rounded as both a hitter and catcher. Additionally, Starlyn Caba, who actually outranks Tait on most lists, is a two-way threat as well, playing as an infielder. George Klassen is a project hurler who struggles with walks, but has some of the best stuff out there when he's on.

2024 MLB Sleeper Prospects - AL West

Here's a list of some of the prospects I have been looking at from the AL West.

 

Los Angeles Angels - Tyler Thomas

Tyler Thomas, 28, is a former prospect of note who joins the Angels via the David Fletcher swap after Atlanta picked him in the MiLB portion of the Rule Five Draft. An independent ball pickup by the Mets last season, Thomas was dominant at AA, posting a 0.706 WHIP. 

Houston Astros - Jacob DeLabio

Jacob DeLabio, a former undrafted free agent, posted a 1.15 ERA last season. His walk rate remains high, but he's limited damage quite well as a pro so far.

Oakland Athletics - Armando Alvarez

Armando Alvarez, 30 in July, has played a lot of pro ball. He's a former 17th rounder by the Yankees that spent last year mostly at AAA Sacramento. It was his 3rd season at the level at an advanced age, granted, but he hit an eye-popping .313/.383/.569 at the level. Alvarez just got his first MLB look, and Oakland can use to see if they have a late-blooming gem in him down the stretch.

Seattle Mariners - Isiah Gilliam/Cody Bolton

A pair of post-hype prospects, Gilliam and Bolton are different types of picks here. The former isn't on the 40, but could push his way onto it with continued power production. The latter is a potential multi-inning weapon for the contending Mariners.

Texas Rangers - Reid Birlingmair

Reid Birlingmair, a former Athletics prospect, is a product of what might be the Mid-West's premier baseball side, the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks. A strong run at the end of last year between A+ and AA should put Birlingmair, 27, on the radar for a MLB look this year.