The Phillies enter their crucial four-game series with the Mets at Citizens Bank Park this week in really good shape.
After winning two out of three against the Marlins over the weekend, the Phils’ lead in the NL East is seven games, the same as it was two weeks ago when the Mets swept the Phillies at Citi Field. The Phils also hold a four-game lead over the Dodgers for the No. 2 seed in the National League, with a huge three-game series in L.A. next week that could determine who receives an all-important
first-round bye.
Yes, Trea Turner’s hamstring is a grave concern, and the starting rotation is still trying to figure things out after Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo and Ranger Suarez. Aaron Nola’s start on Monday is huge.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale offered a couple of Phillies rumors for the off-season because, after all, it’s never too soon to worry about 2026!
Regarding designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, Nightengale assured fans that the Phils’ best slugger almost certainly won’t be leaving the team in free agency this winter:
Forget all of the talk, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber isn’t going anywhere this winter. He loves Philadelphia, and more important, the Phillies love him. They simply will not be out-bid by any team, knowing how vital he is to them as not only their greatest power hitter, but their ultimate clubhouse leader.
Money will talk, but based on Nightengale’s reporting, John Middleton and Dave Dombrowski won’t let money be the determining factor in Kyle’s future in Philadelphia. It’s clear the Phillies need him. No one on the team can provide the power he does, he’s been their most consistent offensive performer outside of Trea Turner this season (his recent 10-game slump notwithstanding), and his importance in the clubhouse cannot be overstated.
Schwarber is in the midst of a very weird slump. Since August 22, 16 games ago, he is hitting .153/.315/.390 in his last 73 plate appearances. He has homered in only one of his last 16 games. That, of course, was the four-home run game against the Braves on August 28. If you take that game out of the picture, Schwarber is batting .094 (5-for-53) in those 15 games. He did, however, put together a really nice at-bat in the 9th inning on Sunday, knocking in a run with a line drive single on a full count, and had a multi-hit game in the series opener on Friday.
Hopefully, he’s pulling out of his funk just in time for New York, against whom he went 0-for-11 in Citi Field. Even with ths slump, Schwarber’s 49 home runs still lead the NL, as do his 120 RBIs.
Nightengale also shared some unsurprising news/speculation regarding Nick Castellanos.
The Phillies, who shopped outfielder Nick Castellanos last winter, will be much more aggressive trying to move him this winter, even eating a significant portion of his remaining $20 million salary.
It sounds, based on Nightengale’s blurb, that the Phillies have looked to trade Castellanos in recent seasons but were unwilling to pick up much of his salary in previous discussions. Given he’s become a strictly platoon, part-time player over the last few weeks, it’s clear the team has lost all confidence Castellanos can play everyday and want more production from right field moving forward.
It’s hard to argue with that thought.
In terms of WAR, Castellanos is guaranteed to have his worst season in a Phillies uniform. His -0.9 bWAR is actually worse than 2022’s -0.1. His defense has always been among the worst in the league, but now his offense has cratered, too. He’s hitting .252/.296/.406 this season, with a .702 OPS, and has two home runs since the start of August and a .575 OPS in the second half, with just four homers and 11 RBIs. He started in just one of the three games in his hometown of Miami and appeared in just two of the team’s six games on a road trip that included a three-game set in Milwaukee.
Moving Castellanos would allow the Phillies to get more creative in the outfield starting next season, even if the team needs to eat a large portion of the $20 million he’s owed next season.
The Phillies will also have decisions to make with free agents-to-be J.T. Realmuto, Ranger Suarez and Harrison Bader this winter, too.
