Final Phillies Mailbag of 2026: What is Next?

We are back with our final Phillies Mailbag of the 2026 season.  The Phillies have been eliminated in the playoffs, as it was just Red October for less than a full day.  With the offseason ahead, we take your questions about the state of this Phillies team.

How much money are the Phillies going to be willing to eat to get rid of some of these horrible contracts?
~Eric
How do they break up a lineup with fat contracts that doesn’t work?
~Bonner

This is going to be a tough offseason.  The Phillies have committed a lot of money to their core, and some are signed for years to come.  So let's talk about some of them in particular.

Bryce Harper - 5 Years, Approx. $126 million remaining

This contract is "fat", I suppose.  But the Phillies signed Bryce Harper to be the face of a franchise for an extended period of time.  The Phillies have five years remaining of that 13-year, $330 million contract.

The average annual value is somewhat reasonable, Harper is productive, and Harper has a no-trade clause.  I would expect that Harper is back at first base for the Phillies next season.

Kyle Schwarber - 4 Years, $132 million remaining

Would the Phillies trade Kyle Schwarber? If I was in charge, I would at least consider it, depending on 1) What came back in return and 2) If there was a potential source of power coming back.

But the reality is that Schwarber getting traded would be a PR nightmare, and it's really tough for the Phillies (and any other team) to find power bats in this day and age.  I think Schwarber remains the Phillies designated hitter.

Trea Turner - 7 Years, Approx. $191 million remaining

This is probably the worst contract the Phillies have.  Trea Turner was signed in the Winter of the infielder.  He, Xander Boagaerts, Rafael Devers, Dansby Swanson, and Carlos Correa all got big deals.  None of them seem to be working out.

Turner won a batting title in 2025, but 2026 was the opposite.  Aside from a strong July, Turner was a thorn in the Phillies side, struggling defensively as well.

Wouldn't it be good if the Phillies could move this contract?

The reality is that the Phillies probably cannot.  Selling low - and this is a career-low - really does not work.   $191 million is a lot of money, even for the rich teams.  Seven years is a long time for a player who looks like he needs a position change sooner than later.

The only hope is that somehow the Giants took on Rafael Devers.  I still can't explain it.  But it happened.  Would someone take on Turner and Turner waive his no-trade clause to do it?

I think that Turner will be back next year and it will be at the shortstop position. The Phillies have two potential future shortstops - more on that later - and I think they will use Turner as that bridge for the coming season, and then move him to another position afterwards.

Aaron Nola - 4 Years, just under $100 million remaining

I think that Aaron Nola will emain a Phillie. The Phillies have five starting pitchers when all healthy: Nola, Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, and Andrew Painter.   That's still it.

Trading Nola creates another hole.

I think that the Phillies still need Nola, even if he is not the ace Nola of 2018.  He still was very effective at times, though the long ball seemed to bite him regularly.  They are not in a position to subtract from their starting pitching depth.

Even with that, you're looking at the one who might become your fifth starter, depending on the progress of Painter.  You don't need him to be an ace.  You need to have him reliably take the ball every fifth day.  I think you'll get that from Nola.

But $25 million a year is a high price to pay for someone to be that.  Another team might not want to take that on, and if the Phillies have to eat a lot of money to move him, they'd be better off just keeping him.

Other Contracts

Would the Phillies trade the likes of Zack Wheeler with one year left?  Jhoan Duran with one year left?   The newly-inked Jesus Luzardo?  I don't think that any of these will be moved.

I really do not envison a scenario where these contracts go anywhere.   The expiring contracts of Nick Castellanos, Adolis Garcia, Taijuan Walker, Alec Bohm, Jose Alvarado, Brooks Raley, Luis Arraez, and Edmundo Sosa represent a signfiicant chunk of money they can work with to rebuild the roster.

Should we really put a lot of faith in Andrew Painter, who pitched better and three good innings in a Wild Card game?
~Greg

I actually am very encouraged by Andrew Painter.  Its not just the fact that he pitched a few good games down the stretch and dazzled in the Wild Card series.  It's that he really picked himself up from a really poor start.

I think that a combination of confidence and experience will do Painter really well.  For someone that blew through the minor leagues completely unhittable, the Tommy John surgery and the subsequent time needed to get himself back into pitching shape represented a lot of adversity.

Add to that finally failing on the mound, there was a real need for an adjustment, and some of that was mental.

I think that Painter gained in confidence, and he worked really well with catcher J.T. Realmuto and pitching coach Caleb Cotham to really develop his pitches, create new ones (a new changeup), and move his career along.

I think that going into 2027, he will be poised for a fine season.  I don't think he's going to be an ace (though some think his potential might be there), but I would expect him to be over the hump.

Why isn’t Bryan Rincon getting more attention as a prospect? Any hope for Alex Binelas?
~Steve
The Phillies have to be a little radical. Outside of Aiden Miller who else can make this team more athletic?
~Michael

I actually would disgree, Steve, that Bryan Rincon is not getting "more attention".  The 2026 season was huge for Rincon, who entered the season as a player who had a nice glove, but did not really hit at Class A.  Then he really opened up the door.

Offensively, the switch-hitting shortstop belted 25 home runs, hit 24 doubles, and stole 30 bases.

That earned him the Paul Owens award for the top organizational offensive player, and he took the number 5 spot on the Phillies MLB Pipeline prospect list (and then number 4 after the trade deadline).

I think that he became the top contender for the Phillies shortstop job among their prospects.  When Aidan Miller finally took the field, Miller moved to third base.

I think that Rincon will begin 2026 at Triple-A at shortstop, with Miller to his right at third base.  This duo is some hope for the Phillies infield, who will lose Alec Bohm to free agency, and Bryson Stott potentially after next year.

I think the Phillies have a shot of two new starting infielders between Rincon and Miller.

Miller, who had an ablation on his back to manage back pain, seemed to respond nicely to the procedure.  He will play this winter in the Arizona Fall League and we will see when he might be ready to join the Phillies.

That is why I think Turner stays at shortstop, while Miller could join the Phillies sooner at third base.

As for Alex Binelas, I think that his best comp would be Darick Hall: a left-handed first baseman who maybe can help you a little bit, but his ceiling is not that high.  Maybe in an injury he could come up, but then again so could Felix Reyes.