2025 is the Phillies final chance with this group of guys

MLB: Playoffs-Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets
Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Phillies 2022 team arrived early. The 2023 team orchestrated one of the biggest collapses in team history. The 2024 team claimed the NL East with nothing to show for it as they were bounced by their division rivals, the New York Mets in the NLDS. Over the last three years, when October would roll around, many Phillies fans felt confident about each of those teams going into the postseason. The Phillies won the sixth most games in baseball over the past 3 seasons. This 2025 season may be the last chance to win with a few of their veteran guys.

Phillies free agents after this season

Contracts are about to expire for Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Ranger Suarez. Castellanos is a free agent after the 2026 season and was rumored to be in trade talks this offseason. Once players test free agency, more often than not, they are not returning. The Phillies front office is going to have to consider if they want to offer a contract extension to any of those players. For me, you don’t let Kyle Schwarber test free agency.

Aside from having one of the most explosive bats in all of baseball finishing first, second and third in home runs in the National League the past three seasons, he is the leader of this team. Ask anyone in that locker room, and they will tell you that Kyle Schwarber is one of the leaders. Although the Phillies are aging, they have some of the best prospects in baseball ready to make their debut.

Young prospects about to emerge

The Phillies will have three of MLB’s top 100 prospects with them at spring training this season. Shortstop Aiden Miller and outfielder Justin Crawford will join the Phillies in Clearwater for the first time. They expect to make their major league debut at some point during the 2026 season. One Phillies prospect is locked and loaded to make a difference this season with the starting staff.

Andrew Painter underwent Tommy John surgery in July of 2023 and is finally ready to make an impact in the major leagues. Phillies will slowly play it with him, he will not pitch this spring and won’t see any action at the major league level until the middle of the summer in hopes that he can help the Phillies staff deep into October.

The last stand

MLB: NLCS-Arizona Diamondbacks at Philadelphia Phillies

The investment of watching 162 regular season games, three hours a day, getting so close to the end goal, and falling short for three years straight has taken a toll on my mental health. I want nothing more than to see this core group of guys win a ring because this roster is not going to look the same for very long. President of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski had some thoughts in regards to the Phillies window closing.

“I don’t feel like our window is closing,” Dombrowski said as the offseason began. “I keep hearing that. But what I think happens is that sometimes it closes with the current players that you have, but it doesn’t mean that it closes overall. We have young players coming that we really like. And we also have ownership that’s very kind to us with our expenditures on payroll.

That may be true but it is a lot harder to win in the postseason when your players have no postseason experience.

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