Philadelphia Phillies president Dave Dombrowski has painted a rather bleak picture when it comes to one particular position.
The Philadelphia Phillies are in a very tough spot right now. They definitely need to improve their roster after getting bounced from the NLDS for the second straight year, but they also have their own free agents they must worry about re-signing.
Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Ranger Suarez, Harrison Bader and others are all free agents, and Phillies president Dave Dombrowski has already stated that not all of them will be returning.
Philadelphia's outfield situation in particular is pretty grim. Bader was huge for the Phillies after they acquired him at the trade deadline, but he may prove to be too pricy for them to retain. Max Kepler is also a free agent, and Nick Castellanos no longer appears to be welcome.
So what will Philadelphia do?
Well, Dombrowski shared rather bleak outlook when it comes to the Phillies' outfield, getting rather blunt about the current setup.
"But so much of it is, OK, if we get those guys back, well, what do we do from there? And it’s early in the process, so I don’t have those answers," Dombrowski said, via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. "But of course right now, outfield, we’re pretty null and void.”
The Phillies have been tabbed as a potential destination for top free agent Kyle Tucker, but the general consensus is that they will only go in that direction if they lose Schwarber.
There has also been chatter that 21-year-old prospect Justin Crawford could make the big-league roster in 2026. Dombrowski himself said it's a possibility after Crawford's magnificent showing in Triple-A this past year. But can Philadelphia put all of its eggs in Crawford's basket?
Many decisions need to be made by the Phillies, who appear to be a bit hesitant to increase their payroll in spite of disappointing finishes the last couple of years.
In a perfect world, Philadelphia would both re-sign Schwarber and sign Tucker, but that does not appear to be all that realistic.
The Phillies could also pursue a shrewd trade to help bolster their outfield, but that is easier said than done.
We'll see what Dombrowski has up his sleeve as the offseason progresses. Perhaps he will have a surprise in store for everyone.