The Philadelphia Phillies are back and looking to get back to playoff form heading into the 2026 MLB season. The Phillies have a strong core of veteran talent, including Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and J.T. Realmuto, among others, who are key standouts on this experienced team. However, the Phillies face some tough challenges in a tough NL East division. They have been consistent contenders for back-to-back titles, but recent projections suggest they will take a step back this year due to age on the roster, injury concerns, and competition from teams like the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets.
Key Projections and Odds
The Phillies are hoping to bounce back into the playoffs and be a contender not to be messed with. Looking through multiple sources, analysts currently rank them behind their division rivals. These projections can change as spring training ends and the regular season begins.
Roster Highlights
The Phillies largely ran it back with their main core group, though there were a few tweaks:
The Offence
- The Infield Offense remains the same with stars like Bryce Harper (1B), Trea Turner (SS), Kyle Schwarber ( DH Re-signed), Alec Boem (3B), Bryson Stott (2B), and J.T. Realmuto (C). Out of those key returning veterans from last year, the one thing that they can improve is the teams strikout rate and on-base percentage. Improving these two main problems can help create better plate discipline and create a more effective offense in the National League. The biggest change that is happening in the offense is in the outfield. Some of the changes include the top prospect is the potential rookie Justin Crawford. One of the key components that he will bring to this team is his elite contact and his on-base percentage. In triple a Lehigh Valley, he posted a .863OPS that led the International League in batting average. He also brought excellent plate discipline of an 11.5% walk rate and an 18% strikeout rate, which will hopefully transfer over in the big leagues. Another key addition to the team in the outfeild being Adolis Garcia. The key component that he will not bring a championship experince but he will bring speed and athleticism around the bases, along with a strong defensive upgrade with his pure arm strength that will lead to fewer bases allowed.
The Starting Rotation
- The Phillies’ starting staff consists of three pitchers who finished with the top ten in the National League Cy Young voting just last season: Christopher Sanchez, being the runner-up last year, Jesus Luzardo (seventh), and Zach Wheeler (ninth). For Jesus Luzardo, he’s looking to get a good jump start early in the season, hoping to improve the innings he pitches from last season, having 183 2/3 innings pitched. Aaron Nola, on the flip side, is also looking to bounce back this season, hoping to improve his 6.01 era and his 97 from last season. Zach Wheeler is still recovering from thoracic outlet surgery (not expected to start on Opening Day), but hopefully, he can create a good impact when they need him the most. So for now, they turn to Andrew Painter and Tijian Walker. Painter who was called up from Leigh Valley to hopefully bring more strikeouts and more chemistry in the big leagues.
Phillies Bullpen
- The Bullpen is one of the improvements that can make a difference this season. The bullpen’s average ERA last season was 4.27, which ranks 20th overall in Major League Baseball, and a WHIP of 1.32. The rotation last season brought heavy loads, inconsistencies, blown leads, and a rough postseason due to the need for reliability in high-leverage spots. The good news is that the front office aggressively addressed these issues during the trade deadline last season and in the offseason to help improve the bullpen. By adding Brad Keller, Johnathan Bowlan, Jhoan Duran, and Tanner Banks, these additions can bring strong velocity, different types of pitches, and strong underlying metrics. For the returning relievers like Jose Alverado and Orion Kerkering, they need to improve their high-leverage reliability, strikeout rate, and bring the postseason impact to flip games that matter. Lastly, Other pitchers like Lou Trevino and Tim Maza can be key pitchers to watch out for in the bullpen to help the Phillies win key games when it matters the most.
The Philles roster definitely has a good mix of new and veteran talent ballplayers, which raises questions about the longevity of finding what will be a winning baseball team that will take them to the World Series and win it all.
Key Storylines for 2026
- The Rotation Anchor: Zach Wheeler’s health will remain a question as the season goes on, but he may return early in the season to help the Phillies during the season. Christopher Sanchez enters the year as the projected opening day starter after a dominant 2025 campaign.
- Youth Movement top prospects Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter are expected to make major league debuts and potentially hold opening day roster spots. Infielder Adian Miller is also projected to reach the majors at some point in 2026.
- Outfield Overhaul: The team released long time outfeilder Nick Castellanos. Adolis Garcia was acquired to take over in right field and hopefully can bring the new type of explosiveness to make an impact in philly while Brandon Marsh is expected to platoon in left with newcomer Otto Kemp.
- Elite Bullpen: The bullpen is ranked as the 3rd strongest bullpen in baseball. Coming into this season, the question will be whether they can hold that reputation and whether there are no injuries or other circumstances.
- The Main Question: Can the team overcome the loaded NL to go deep into the playoffs this season? The bullpen and rotation could carry them in October if the offense clicks.
Spring Training is underway in the Grapefruit League, so lineups and rotations may shift based on injuries and or other circumstances. Overall, for me personally as a Philies fan myself, I am excited to see them back in action, and I believe that they can be a good playoff caliber team with contender status, but this team needs to overcome the odds and beat the projections and prove other teams wrong that they are the ones to stand out in the competitive NL division.
