This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki’s Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Dave Dombrowski won’t tip his hand on everything he wants to do this offseason, but he said last week that he wants to find more ways to rest his veteran players.
“To keep those guys fresher as they age,” he said.
It’s a smart plan, but it’s not easily accomplished. Once the 2027 season starts, the Phillies will want to win games, and Don Mattingly might feel the pull to play his best players more than he intended, especially if those players tell him that they want to play. Years ago, the Phillies asked Charlie Manuel to rest his stars on occasion, but the competitor in him could not help but play Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and others as much as possible.
“Don and I have talked, along with Preston [Mattingly] and others,” Dombrowski said about that dilemma. “Some of that may be flexibility.”
It starts with Bryce Harper, who played 162 games.
“We need to get him off his feet a little bit more if we can,” Dombrowski said.
Harper will be the primary first baseman, but he told Dombrowski in a recent meeting that he will play right field on occasion, if needed.
Harper served as the designated hitter 12 times this year, two times in 2025 and three times in ’24. He could DH more if Kyle Schwarber plays more in the field. Dombrowski said they have budgeted Schwarber to play 30 games at first base.
Schwarber started six games at first this year. He started twice in left field. If he gets at least 20 fewer games at DH, it’s more rest for Harper, Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto.
“My goal is to try to reduce the number of games you catch,” Dombrowski told Realmuto recently.
It’s something the Phillies have wanted to do in the past, but Realmuto caught 123 games this year, which ranked second in MLB behind Milwaukee’s William Contreras (128). Realmuto led MLB in games caught in 2025 (132), ’23 (133) and ’22 (133).
But after Realmuto batted .205 with a .614 OPS this season, a reduction might finally happen.
To make this plan work, the Phillies need a stronger supporting cast, including backup catcher.
They need to significantly upgrade the outfield with Harper returning to first base. Justin Crawford and Derek Hill could platoon in center field, but they need help in left and right.
There is no immediate outfield help coming from the Minor Leagues, which means the Phillies must address their deficiencies via trades or free agency. (Turner could move to the outfield at some point.) Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena are free agents, but both will command multiyear deals and will receive a qualifying offer. Other notable MLB free-agent outfielders include Ian Happ, Taylor Ward, Trent Grisham and Daulton Varsho.
Japanese free agent Terukai Sato is a slugger, but he is considered below average defensively at both third base and right field. Maybe that doesn’t matter, although Mattingly said last week he wants better defense.
The Phillies could have at least one infield vacancy, if both Alec Bohm and Luis Arraez sign elsewhere. Free-agent infielders include Jazz Chisholm Jr., Brandon Lowe and Gleyber Torres. Phillies' No. 2 prospect Aidan Miller could push for a promotion, which would be a godsend for a farm system that has struggled to produce big league talent.
Ryan Jeffers is the top free-agent catcher, but would he want to share time with Realmuto? And how much money can the Phillies invest at catcher anyway with two years remaining on Realmuto's three-year, $45 million deal? Jeffers is likely to receive a qualifying offer as well.
Other expected free-agent catchers include Carson Kelly, Tyler Stephenson, Austin Hedges, Kyle Higashioka, Gary Sánchez, Christian Vázquez and Jonah Heim. Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchan are both out of options. Both are eligible for salary arbitration.
“We need to complement those guys with some other players,” Dombrowski said about his veterans. “That will be our goal.”