What's next for the Phillies? Big questions facing club after NLDS exit, including Kyle Schwarber's future

The Phillies have plenty to ask an answer this offseason

The Philadelphia Phillies were eliminated from postseason contention on Wednesday, dropping Game 4 of their National League Division Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in heartbreaking fashion. If the postseason loss wasn't enough, the Phillies now head into the winter without a playoff series victory since 2023. They are 3-10 in their last 13 playoff games.

Heraclitus once said no man steps in the same river twice, for both the man and the river are constantly changing. A similar logic applies to baseball teams. Even if these Phillies were to return the exact 26 players next year, they wouldn't be the same team. They'd be altered from their 2025 state. A year older, at least. But you needn't look at such a granular level to understand that this Phillies club may look significantly different when they take the field for Opening Day 2026. 

Indeed, this offseason is shaping up to be a transformative one for the Phillies. For an idea of what it may entail, let's address three of the biggest questions facing Philadelphia's front office.

1. What happens with Schwarber and other free agents?

Few teams stand to lose as much high-end talent to the marketplace as these Phillies do. 

Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, catcher J.T. Realmuto, and left-hander Ranger Suárez are all set to be free agents and all could potentially depart. That trio just so happens to represent three of the Phillies' eight most productive players in 2025, as determined by Baseball Reference's estimated Wins Above Replacement metric. 

Will the Phillies make an emphatic attempt to retain any, or all of the above's services?

The Phillies were rumored to have listened to offers on Suárez last winter, and there's been no public indication they've tried extending him. The same isn't true for Schwarber and Realmuto. Media reports suggested they engaged both in extension talks during the spring, with Realmuto even tipped his hand publicly about how much he enjoyed being with the organization.

"Obviously I have interest in coming back to the Phillies," Realmuto said in February. "I love being here. My wife loves it here, my family. Their friends are all in the organization. So, there's certainly interest on our end. I would hope the Phillies have interest, as well."

Of course, it should be noted that the Phillies did not reach an agreement with Schwarber or Realmuto. That doesn't mean both are heading out the door. It does mean that, for whatever reason, the Phillies did not advance those conversations all the way over the goalline.

2. Will Thomson return as manager?

With all the potential change brewing in the clubhouse, it's only fair to wonder if some might bubble over to the dugout. 

To be clear: manager Rob Thomson is under contract through the 2026 campaign, and there's no reason to think the Phillies have grown tired of him. The more likely scenario would be him wanting something different. Thomson, 62, has admitted he considered retiring before the Phillies elevated him to the full-time managerial role.

"One reason I was thinking about retirement was that it was just getting stale for me," Thomson said in December 2023. "But ever since I've stepped into this role, there's no staleness -- at all. There's a new problem every day, new things to do every day. I'm upbeat, and I'm just happy. I don't think there's any question about my love for this team, this group of people, players and coaches, this organization, the city, I love it all. So this was a no-brainer for me."

Again, there's not currently significant reason to believe someone other than Thomson will manage the Phillies next year. But it's something to tuck away until he confirms he intends to return.

3. How do youngsters factor in?

This offseason isn't just about who is on their way out of Philadelphia. It's also about who's coming in. That may include three of the Phillies' best regarded prospects: right-hander Andrew Painter, infielder Aidan Miller, and outfielder Justin Crawford.

Painter's ascent to the majors has been delayed by injury, but he seems like a real candidate to break camp with the big-league club next spring -- especially in light of Suárez's impending free agency. His stuff looked better than his results did throughout his year at Triple-A, with him compiling a 5.40 ERA and a 2.41 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

Miller spent most of his year in Double-A before reaching Triple-A in September. Overall, he batted .264/.392/.433 with 14 home runs and 59 stolen bases. Miller has exclusively played shortstop in the minors, so it's to be seen how the Phillies would factor him into the lineup -- be it by moving him to the hot corner, or by rearranging their infield in a different way. Third baseman Alec Bohm will presumably once again find himself the subject of trade rumors either way.

Crawford hit .334/.411/.452 with seven home runs and 46 stolen bases across 112 Triple-A games. He would seem like a natural solution to some of the Phillies' outfield problems. The catch is that he's a polarizing offensive prospect because of his ball-tracking data. Crawford's 0.6 degree average launch angle would've been the lowest in the majors among qualifiers, with only one player (Milwaukee's Christian Yelich) checking in below 5 degrees.

It stands to reason that all three will factor into the Phillies offseason in some capacity, be it as internal solutions or as part of trade talks with other organizations. The answers will be revealed over the coming months. For now, all the Phillies can do is sit around and weigh their options.