The Philadelphia Phillies are being predicted to acquire a future Hall-of-Famer this MLB offseason.
Outside of re-signing Kyle Schwarber, the Philadelphia Phillies have not been very active this offseason. Yes, they signed Adolis Garcia on a one-year deal and Brad Keller is now aboard, but that's about it.
The Phillies are probably saying goodbye to Ranger Suarez and Harrison Bader in free agency, and they still have not re-signed J.T. Realmuto, with negotiations appearing to be at a standstill.
Considering that Philadelphia was just slapped with a $56 million luxury tax bill, its lack of spending this winter should not come as too much of a surprise.
But could the Phillies have a surprising move up their sleeves?
Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter thinks so, projecting Philadelphia to sign pitcher Max Scherzer to fill the fifth slot in its starting rotation.
"Stretching out Brad Keller is one possibility after he was signed to a two-year, $22 million deal last month, while top prospect Andrew Painter will also get a long look this spring," Reuter wrote. "However, this could be the perfect landing spot for Max Scherzer as he chases another title in the late stages of his Hall of Fame career."
Max Scherzer. Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images.Scherzer spent the 2025 campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he pitched to the tune of a 5.19 ERA while allowing 87 hits and registering 82 strikeouts over 85 innings of work.
The 41-year-old is certainly not the same pitcher he was during his prime, but with Suarez likely gone and Zack Wheeler recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, adding Scherzer as a back-end-of-the-rotation starter may not be the worst idea.
Scherzer did log a 3.77 ERA while averaging 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings with the Texas Rangers as recently as 2023, although at his age, that is like eons ago at this point.
Injuries have derailed the right-hander over the past couple of seasons, as he made just 26 starts between 2024 and 2025.
But, at the very least, Scherzer is experienced and has a Hall-of-Fame resume to bring to Philadelphia, and he wouldn't be asking to do a whole lot.
We'll see if the Phillies make any other significant moves between now and the start of spring training. You have to figure they'll get their catcher situation sorted out, and adding another starter — like Scherzer — could be a possibility.