Three players have been key to the Phillies’ success throughout the last three seasons, which all saw the team play October baseball.
Ranger Suarez, J.T. Realmuto, and Kyle Schwarber. It’s difficult to see this club without them, even if they may not have been the most significant contributors to the Phillies’ three-year winning streak.
Throughout his three seasons in Philadelphia, Schwarber has been the team’s reliable, if unorthodox, leadoff hitter. In addition to hitting an NL-best 46 in 2022, 47 in 2023, and 38 last season, he has slugged 131 home runs, a league-best 106 walks, and a much better slash line overall. He is now the team’s full-time designated hitter and has emerged as a clubhouse leader and one of the most formidable sluggers in the game.
Even though Realmuto only played 99 games due to injury, he recorded the lowest WAR of his career (3.0) since 2016, yet MLB Network only last week ranked him as baseball’s fourth-best catcher going into his 34th season. In his 11-year career, that was the fewest in a season that wasn’t cut short by a pandemic. In his six years behind the plate with the Phillies, he has amassed a.793 OPS, two All Star selections, two Gold Gloves, and two Silver Slugger Awards. He still managed to produce a respectable.751 OPS last season.
Suarez earned his first All-Star selection and sparked genuine Cy Young Award buzz in 2024 after racing off to one of the most impressive starts of any starter in Phillies history. However, he missed two months because of back spasms and did not participate in the Midsummer Classic. One of the team’s most reliable postseason relievers over the years, he had a 1.43 ERA in eight starts and 37.2 career playoff innings. He was much less productive upon his comeback, but he still recorded a 3.46 ERA in 27 starts and 150 2⁄3 innings. In the 2022 NLCS against San Diego, he recorded the final two outs with just two pitches.
All three players are in the last year of their contracts going into the 2025 season, and Dave Dombrowski is unlikely to retain all three of these free agents. It is possible that all three will disappear.
Decisions, decisions.
Therefore, who is more likely to sign a contract extension and remain with the company for a longer period of time, and who is more likely to depart? I’ve ranked the likelihood of staying with the Phillies past 2025 from least to most likely.
Ranger Suarez The simplest decision is for Suarez to leave the Phillies in free agency at the end of the season. Aaron Nola will earn $24.5 million each season until 2030, Cristopher Sanchez signed an extension through 2027, Jesus Luzardo is under team control through the next year, and Zack Wheeler is contracted through 2027 at $42 million annually. Also on the way is Andrew Painter.
Suarez is hoping to have the sort of season in 2025 that will result in a multi-year, life-altering contract for himself in free agency. He will either start for the Phillies as their fourth or fifth player. With Scott Boras as his agent, Suarez is unlikely to sign a contract extension before he hits free agency, and it’s difficult to see how the Phillies could afford to provide him the sort of deal he’s likely to demand right now (in all honesty, they shouldn’t).
Enjoy “Rager” while it lasts. His time in Philadelphia is most likely coming to an end.
Schwarber, Kyle
Choosing between Schwarber and Realmuto is quite challenging. Although it’s probably a toss-up, it seems unlikely that the Phillies would give Schwarber a deal before Realmuto given the roster’s present composition and future options.
Given their offensive performances over the previous three seasons and Schwarber’s position as the team’s leader, that may sound absurd, but roster design might be the decisive element in this case.
Schwarber will undoubtedly sign another big-money free agency contract this off-season, potentially matching the four-year, $79 million contract he got before 2022, which turned out to be an amazing value, if he has another season like the previous three (and there’s no reason to think he won’t). He may have three or four more years of top slugging ahead of him at DH because he is still just thirty-two years old.
It’s difficult to see the Phillies without Schwarber going forward, but to be honest, there are more alternatives to Realmuto in his place. In order to add someone at a different location, Harper may go to DH, allowing Dombrowski to look for a slugger at first base through trade or free agency. Alternatively, they could move Castellanos or another position player to DH.
The front office, however, is more likely to see Schwarber’s worth on and off the field and negotiate a multi-year contract extension right away. The fan support would undoubtedly applaud the move, and if the statistics line up, Schwarber could decide to re-sign.
Realmuto, J.T.
Although he hasn’t been as effective as Schwarber, Realmuto is unquestionably one of the top players at a position with little scoring potential. Furthermore, given that the Phillies are depending more on their starters and a bullpen with more doubts this season, Realmuto’s ability to manage a pitching staff cannot be understated.
The absence of both internal and external alternatives to replace Schwarber is perhaps the main argument in favor of a Realmuto extension. Sal Perez (should the Royals choose not to exercise a $13.5 million option on the 26-year-old), Christian Vazquez (35), Austin Hedges (33), and Gary Sanchez (33), are the top free agents. Without a question, Realmuto would be the most desirable free agent available.
His backup this season will probably be Rafael Marchan, who has struggled to remain healthy throughout his professional career despite showing some potential in the lower leagues and in sparse major league play. Although Eduardo Tait is a highly intriguing young player and is regarded by some as a top-100 talent, he is only starting his 18th season and will most likely play in High-A ball for the majority of 2025. No one should anticipate him to be this team’s every-day catcher until at least halfway through the 2027 season, if not 2028. This is true even if he advances quickly through the system.
The Phillies could ride with Marchan until Tait comes and still have above-average productivity at the most crucial position on the diamond if they re-sign the erratic Realmuto.
