The Philadelphia Phillies keep the core together, reportedly re-signing Kyle Schwarber to a five-year deal. However, the Phillies can’t stop here this offseason to be a World Series contender in 2026.

Here is what should be next for Philadelphia after re-signing the National League MVP finalist. 

Phillies Should Re-Sign JT Realmuto

With the Phillies re-signing JT Realmuto, they clearly don’t want to give up on this core of players yet. One of the key members on the roster over the last few seasons was catcher JT Realmuto, and he’s still a free agent.

Realmuto may be coming off a down offensive season in 2025, but he’s still a veteran who knows this pitching staff, which can’t be overlooked when talking about the catching position.

Last year, Realmuto had an OPS+ of 91, which was his lowest in a Phillies uniform, but was still elite in throwing base runners. He’s still a productive big-league catcher and deserving of being on Philadelphia’s roster, at least for the next few seasons.

There’s still unfinished business with this iteration of the Phillies, and bringing back Realmuto so he can be a part of that should be a must. 

Phillies Must Shift Focus To The Outfield

With Schwarber re-signed, the next biggest priority for the Phillies this offseason is to address the outfield. Will 

Will Nick Castellanos be on the roster next season? Will the Phillies be able to re-sign Harrison Bader, too? Is the front office content with Brandon Marsh purely facing right-handed pitching? Will Johan Rojas ever pan out as a productive big-leaguer?

Given how the position group currently looks, the Phillies will undoubtedly need to address the outfield sooner rather than later, and it may require the front office to go outside the organization to get some help.

Philadelphia Should Explore Adding A Reliever

A team can never have too much starting pitching, and with the Phillies currently sitting with their bullpen, they could absolutely benefit from adding another arm to their reliever core. 

During the regular season, Philadelphia’s bullpen had a 4.27 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Even though those numbers looked slightly better during the postseason, the Phillies heavily relied on Ranger Suarez and Jhoan Duran. The team could certainly benefit from adding a third trusted reliever to the core.