Friday was the deadline for teams to tender a contract for the 2026 season to players on their roster that were arbitration eligible. Whenever this deadline hits, there are several surprise players that are cut
loose, but most of the time, it’s a chance for teams to move on from players that are projected to make pretty substantial money while not offering commensurate production.
It’s the price of doing business.
For the Phillies, and all other teams, it’s a chance to add a few players that they might be able to squeeze a bit of value out of for a price that doesn’t dent the final budget very much at all. The chances of these players making the same amount of money as they were projected to make are low, but not impossible. Let’s look at a few players that might be of interest to them and how they might fit on the roster.
Adolis Garcia
Obviously, this is going to be the name that jumps out the most for a team like the Phillies and that makes sense. As a right handed outfielder, Garcia fits what the team is currently looking for. He has power (19 home runs in 2025), a tinge of speed (13 stolen bases) and can fit into the corners.
However, there are some rather large red flags.
While Garcia does still hit the ball hard, he swings the bat as if he is trying swat away bees. His chase rate and whiff rate are both near the bottom percentiles in the game and have been falling as rates since his breakout season in 2023. Defensively, he is a tremendous liability in left field, his primary spot in the grass. There might be some upside left in his profile, particularly if he is able to work with Kevin Long and buy into a different philosophy at the plate, so maybe a deeper dive on him is in order.
Ramon Urias
This is more about an opportunity than anything else.
Bringing Urias aboard would be able moving pieces around the chess board. While he doesn’t offer much at the plate, he offers versatility in the field with his glove, able to play all three of the important positions in the infield. He was a Gold Glove winner in 2022 and can offer a solid backup to the starters the team has.
The opportunity would come in what they could do with other players on their roster. Acquiring Urias would theoretically allow them to dangle Edmundo Sosa in a trade. While he wouldn’t fetch a haul in terms of prospects, he would be desirable to teams that might want to see what Sosa could do on an everyday basis. If the team were interested in doing a major leaguer for major leaguer trade, perhaps Sosa would be able to get them an arm to use in the bullpen.
Substituting Urias for Sosa would be a downgrade for the construction of the roster, but this might be a chance to help the roster in a different way.
Christopher Morel
This would be another chance at adding someone to the outfield mix in the same vein as Adolis Garcia: a right handed hitting outfielder that has perhaps a bit of upside left over.
The profile for Morel is pretty much the same as Garcia: has power, chases everything under the sun and probably shouldn’t put a glove on if it can be avoided. Yet, as a player that is entering the vaunted age 27 season, there might still be some value left that can be squeezed out with good coaching.
Evan Phillips
You like Tommy John surgery recoveries?
This would be a move that is more designed for 2027. Phillips had the zipper put in his elbow this past June, so nothing would be expected for this coming season. It would have to be some kind of two year deal that is cheap up front and bigger on the back. But Phillips’ past indicates that this would be a smart long-term play for the Phillies.
Alek Manoah
This would be a complete dice roll by the team, but perhaps a smart one at that.
Manoah was once one of the Blue Jays’ top prospects and has had major league success, but injury and ineffectiveness has robbed him of his former glory. Toronto had all the paperwork on him and wasn’t willing to pay the projected $2.2 million arbitration would have cost them, so now he is available. For a team like the Phillies that is looking to build depth at the Triple-A level, Manoah would be a pitcher that makes sense. If he is unable to take a step back to where he was, the team could simply cut bait and move on. But they do have a need for that kind of depth that can step in in a pinch. Manoah would be worth a minor league deal.
