The Philadelphia Phillies have officially been eliminated from the postseason after losing in the Wild Card series to the Atlanta Braves. This sets up another crucial offseason. They need to make moves and build a team that is actually capable of winning the World Series.
Let’s take a look at an overall preview of the Phillies offseason. This includes upcoming free agents, the pending managerial search, and potential free agents they could target to fill needs.
Jose Alvarado
Alvarado has never been able to get back to where he was a few years ago. He has been extremely inconsistent and ended the year on a really bad note. It will be interesting to see, but he may be on his way out of Philadelphia in free agency.
Brooks Raley
There is almost no chance Raley is back in a Phillies uniform next season. He was awful in the little time he spent in Philadelphia and was left off the Wild Card roster due to poor performance.
Luis Arraez
Arraez could find himself back in Philadelphia, but it’s hard to say. He was a nice addition to the lineup; it just wasn’t the right fit. His market will determine if he’s back.
Edmundo Sosa
Sosa has been with the club since their World Series run in 2022 as a versatile bench player. He’s one of the most beloved players in the clubhouse and would be a tough player to let walk. With that being said, he will almost certainly be given a better opportunity somewhere else. It’s hard to imagine him giving up a starting role to return to Philadelphia and come off the bench.
Adolis Garcia
Garcia won’t be back in Philadelphia after a few months of poor hitting before his season-ending injury.
Tim Mayza
Mayza was a nice middle-inning reliever who appears to be the most likely Phillies free agent to return in 2027. The organization and Mayza seem to have mutual interest.
Alec Bohm
Bohm has been subject to trade rumors for multiple seasons now, and he hits the open market where he will likely have more value to other teams than Philadelphia. It’s a similar situation to Arraez, where the market will determine if he returns, but the likelihood of him not being in Philadelphia this season seems higher than ever.
Don Mattingly did not do enough to remove the interim tag that was placed on him once he took over for Rob Thomson. Sure, the Phillies made a great recovery after starting 9-19, but they did not reach the ultimate goal. The stretch run made it easy to see that the team did not respond well enough to Mattingly.
They nearly had one of the worst collapses ever to end the regular season, barely scratching their way into the postseason. Once they got there, the Wild Card series with the Atlanta Braves showed why he almost certainly won’t be back.
The bullpen management was always sketchy with Mattingly, but some of the decisions late in the season and postseason were very questionable. Whether that was leaving in a starting pitcher for too long or bringing in the wrong guy in the wrong spot, it just didn’t work out.
Now, who could Philadelphia bring in to replace Mattingly?
The obvious candidate is Alex Cora, the former manager of the Boston Red Sox and former World Series Champion. He has a great relationship with Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, and was rumored to be a candidate to replace Thomson earlier in the season.
Cora elected to take the remainder of the 2026 season off and spend time with his family, but there is no update about whether or not he will return to managing next year. There is no question that Dombrowski and the Phillies will reach out, and the two sides seem like a likely match.
Other candidates for the Phillies managerial search include Rocco Baldelli, David Ross, Brad Ausmus, and Brandon Hyde.
The Phillies have a long list of needs heading into a crucial offseason with their aging core. They will have multiple areas to address, but the most important will be the bullpen, outfield, and potentially a corner infielder if they move on from Bohm. Here’s a look at some potential options who are free agents this offseason.
Teruaki Sato, 3B/OF
This is the perfect opportunity for the Phillies to finally make a splash and sign a free agent out of Japan. Satu would fit the team absolutely perfectly, providing another power bat at the top of the order and filling in at a position of need. He isn’t a great defender at either position, but his versatility makes him an option whether Bohm is re-signed or let go. Sato has legit 40 home run power and, at just 27 years old, could be a target on a multi-year contract for the Phillies.
Randy Arozarena, OF
Arozarena has been a rumored target for the Phillies seemingly every season at the trade deadline. This is an opportunity for Philadelphia to get their hands on the player without having to give up a premium asset. The outfielder would bring some legit All-Star talent to an outfield that desperately needs some.
Seiya Suzuki, OF
Suzuki wouldn’t fix any of the concerns people have with the defense, but he would be a great cleanup hitter behind Bryce Harper. He has always had a knack for knocking in runners and has more pop than any right-hander currently on the Phillies. This is a no-brainer if Dombrowski is serious about building a contender.
Adrian Morejon, LHP
Morejon would give the team a legit left-handed option out of the bullpen. They have continuously tried to make Jose Alvarado work, but the inconsistency has always remained. They need to find someone to bridge the gap to Jhoan Duran, and there isn’t a better free agent fit than Morejon.
David Bednar,
Bednar would be a similar signing to what Dombrowski did last offseason with Brad Keller. Bringing in a righty just to get some extra talent into the bullpen and get to Duran. It wouldn’t be as clean of a fit as Morejon, but they desperately need some more depth in the bullpen.
The Phillies and Dombrowski have a lot on their plates this offseason. They will need to address multiple spots in the starting lineup while also trying to build a capable bullpen. This is the season where legit moves need to be made. The fanbase is getting tired of handing out one-year deals to veterans and hoping it works. They want moves that can get them closer to the World Series.
Bringing in Cora seems like the likely first step. Adding a setup man and a capable lefty to get to Duran is a critical point in their team-building goals this offseason. Addressing the starting lineup with an actual middle-of-the-lineup hitter rather than another bottom-tier hitter is necessary.
The best outcome would be signing Morejon, Sato, and Suzuki. It may not be the most likely scenario, but Dombrowski and the Phillies should really consider targeting some of those guys as they try to improve the roster for 2027.
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