Phillies 2026 Offseason Guide on Free Agents, Trade Targets, Roster Shakeups After Wild Card Loss

For the fifth consecutive year, the Philadelphia Phillies reached the postseason. However, 2026, like the four prior years, saw them come up short of their final goal of winning the World Series.

This time, it was a 2-1 series loss to the rival Atlanta Braves in the wild card round.

Where will president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski—who has an uncomfortable number of players in or approaching their mid-30s—turn this offseason to get this group over the top while keeping the future in mind?

Here's the 2026 Phillies offseason guide.

Free Agents

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Luis Arraez

Arraez narrowly missed becoming a four-time batting champion, although that has more to do with what he did in San Francisco than in Philadelphia. Arraez missed the wild card series after spraining his ankle just a few days before the postseason began.

Arraez's presence in the lineup behind Bryce Harper definitely had a positive effect. But whether it's because Bryson Stott goes back to second, Trea Turner moves there, or the Phillies are hesitant to make a long-term bet on Arraez defensively at the position, it's fair to wonder how likely he is to return.

Alec Bohm

Bohm finished runner-up in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2020 and was the starting third baseman for the NL All-Star team in 2024. Still, many will view his tenure in Philadelphia as disappointing, given the belief that the former No. 3 overall pick could develop into a lineup anchor. He does hit well with runners in scoring position, so there will be interest in him on a one-year deal heading into his age-30 season. That interest probably won't be from the Phillies, however.

Edmundo Sosa

Since the Phillies acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2022 trade deadline, Edmundo Sosa has become arguably the best utility man the Phillies have ever had. In addition to being able to play shortstop, second base and third base, Sosa proved capable of playing left field this season as well. The Phillies will likely want the 30-year-old back. It's just a matter of whether he gets an opportunity to play every day somewhere else.

José Alvarado

The Phillies picked up José Alvarado's $9 million option for 2026 hoping he would be a dominant set-up man for Jhoan Duran. That's not what transpired, even if he was much better after posting a 6.82 ERA in 39 games in the first half of the season. The 31-year-old lefty was Dombrowski's first acquisition upon getting the job, and is well-liked by just about anyone he interacts with. Still, it feels like it might be time after six seasons with the Phillies.

Adolis García

The Phillies signed Adolis García to a one-year, $10 million deal, hoping he could bounce back after two consecutive poor seasons and finish his time with the Texas Rangers. Unfortunately, García tore his right lat in June, which required season-ending surgery. Before the injury, he had four outs above average in right field but was hitting just .195 with a .599 OPS. It's unclear what the market will look like for the former ALCS MVP ahead of his age-34 campaign.

Tim Mayza

Tim Mayza made the Phillies out of Spring Training as a non-roster invitee and proved to be arguably their best left-handed reliever in 2026. He'll turn 35 in January, but should have no problem securing an MLB deal this offseason.

Brooks Raley

Brooks Raley struggled mightily after being acquired by the Phillies at the trade deadline. However, he posted a 1.96 ERA in 45 games for the New York Mets before being dealt, so even heading into his age-39 season, Raley will have suitors.

Biggest Needs

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First and foremost, Dombrowski needs to decide who the manager is.

The Phillies turned their 2026 campaign around under interim manager Mattingly, but only after Dombrowski tried to hire Alex Cora. By all accounts, Dombrowski will likely circle back and land Cora—who he won a World Series with in 2018—as his skipper for 2027.

Elsewhere, the Phillies need to decide on their infield makeup. Harper is almost certainly returning to first base. Bohm will likely walk in free agency. But will Arraez be back? Does Stott go back to second, stay at third or return to his natural position of shortstop? Is this the offseason the Phillies finally wave the white flag on Turner at shortstop? What, if anything, can be expected of top prospect Aidan Miller—a possible fit at shortstop or third base—after a back injury forced him to miss most of 2027?

Ultimately, Turner will play the biggest role in determining what the Phillies need. Right now, corner outfield seems like a major need. But if the Phillies try Turner in left field, then an infielder becomes more likely. Even if Turner stays in the infield, the Phillies likely will need a stopgap option until Miller is ready.

Additionally, the bullpen outside Duran—who will enter his final arbitration year in 2027—needs rebuilding.

Potential Free Agent Target

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Let's say the Phillies keep Turner in the infield, be it at shortstop or second base. That would mean they are short a corner outfielder if we assume Harper moves back to first base and Justin Crawford sticks in center field.

This isn't a great free-agent class, but both Randy Arozarena and Seiya Suzuki will hit the market after career years and could be enticing to a Phillies team that's sought a right-handed bat for years on end. However, both will enter their age-32 seasons and have qualifying offers attached. So it's unclear if the Phillies will have the stomach to give either, let's say, five years.

Alternatively, Ian Happ could be worth watching. The switch-hitter is a four-time Gold Glove Award winner with six seasons of at least 20 homers on his resume. If the Chicago Cubs don't retain Happ, he could be an interesting target for the Phillies on a three-year deal ahead of his age-32 campaign.

Potential Trade Target

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ESPN's Jeff Passan linked the Phillies to Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto prior to the trade deadline. Ultimately, the Halos chose to keep him. Between an ownership change and uncertainty about John Mozeliak's future, it's unclear whether the Angels will be open to moving Neto in the offseason.

However, if the Phillies do move Turner off shortstop, their interest in Neto this past summer is worth remembering. He has three consecutive seasons of at least 23 homers and would give the Phillies another right-handed bat. Plus, for an aging team, adding a player before his age-26 season who can't become a free agent until after 2029 would be a boon.

The question is how turned off the Phillies would be by Neto's 200-plus strikeouts in 2026. Also, the top two defensive metrics—defensive runs saved and outs above average—differ greatly in how they view his work at shortstop. The last thing the Phillies want to do is move Turner off of shortstop and then acquire another player who doesn't fit there.

Neto will likely be a polarizing trade candidate because of the reasons outlined above. But it isn't hard to imagine Dombrowski becoming infatuated with the former first-round pick.

Projected 2026 Opening Day Roster

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C: J.T. Realmuto

1B: Bryce Harper

2B: Bryson Stott

SS: Trea Turner

3B: Edmundo Sosa

LF: Ian Happ

CF: Justin Crawford

RF: Brandon Marsh

• We predict the Phillies will cite Turner's defensive improvement over the final two months of the season as a reason to keep him at shortstop for at least another season. Stott would then shift back to second base, with Harper returning to first base. Aidan Miller looms over all of this, but it feels unlikely he'll be on the Opening Day roster. So the Phillies re-sign Sosa to be their third baseman until Miller is ready to take over.
• There have been times during Crawford's rookie season when he's been an adventure in center field. But from a long-term sense, he's much more valuable in center field than left field. So the Crawford-Hill platoon will live to see another season, while Marsh, in his contract year, shifts to right to accommodate the free-agent signing of the aforementioned Happ.

Pitching Staff

1. Cristopher Sánchez
2. Zack Wheeler
3. Jesús Luzardo
4. Aaron Nola
5. Andrew Painter

Closer: Jhoan Duran

• With Nola's second-half resurgence and signs of growth from Painter, this might be baseball's best starting rotation entering 2027. Wheeler has long said he plans to retire after the 2027 season, when his contract concludes, although there seems to be some wiggle room on that.