Phillies 2025-2026 Hot Stove Discussion

[zambonir]

Yeah, I mean, the part that's complicating is where it says the Phillies (and most of MLB apparently) don't believe Crawford can play an average big-league CF. Are they willing to let him grow into it? Or if not, could Marsh play RF well, if they brought back Bader or signed Robert?

Either way I still don't think an OF with that group upgrades the line-up/provides what the Phillies were missing from Nick, unless Bader doesn't turn back into a pumpkin or Robert becomes what he was.

Dealing Bohm is still an option but doesn't get you much back. Dealing Marsh might. Or they could just keep mixing and matching.

Bounce back candidates tend to be injury riddled players who get healthy.

Robert has been extremely injury-riddled. And probably poorly coached and unhappy (and a human trade rumor) too. But either way the risk is mitigated by him being a 1-2 WAR player regardless of how hits (the high end if healthy). Of course that's what we said about Rojas, and it's also true of Bader (but less so if he declines due to being the much older player).

[andyb]

Bounce back candidates tend to be injury riddled players who get healthy.

Which describes Robert.

[zambonir]

Dombrowski also said Thomson will get contract redone. Though it does also seem to me that the new bench coach thing creates a possible interim replacement if things go bad, not that the other coaches couldn't do that too.

[mdougherty12]

I could be interested in Robert if his option is declined.

If Robert is the answer, then the question was wrong. He has OPS+ of 86 and 85 the past two seasons. He would be a downgrade from what we already have. He still is plus defensively.

For what it's worth, Harrison Bader put up an 80 OPS+ in 1094 PA for the 3 seasons prior to 2025.

[Austinfan]

With Robert or Bader, depends on two things, how they project Crawford and Nori and how long a deal they want.
If they think Crawford or Nori could play CF in 2027, then they're not giving longer than a 1 year deal as a stopgap.

Nori and Escobar finished the year in Reading, so they'll start there in 2026. How fast they develop will probably determine 2027 moves, but not sure DD wants to commit money to mediocre players and block prospects - different matter if they can land an "anchor" CF in his 20s.

[andyb]

Nori has absolutely nothing to do with any of these decisions. He is just not a good enough prospect to be meaningful at this time. You constantly overrate prospects in your decision-making. Crawford is now good enough to be in the conversation for 2026. Nori needs to get much better to be a factor in any conversation as now many 4th OF fringe free agents (the kind that sign for minimal money) are as good as he projects to be. Weston Wilson is as good now ((in a different way) as Nori projects to be.

Yes prospects do have an upside. They can be better than their projection. But you don't plan for the future around them until they do that.

[zambonir]

If they want Bader and he will take a two-year deal at a decent price, no one on the roster will affect that decision. If he wants three or someone is willing to pay him based on the past year instead of the past four years... well, no one on the roster will affect that decision to say goodbye either. But they're probably not getting him on a one-year deal.

The only real consideration with Crawford as discussed is, do they see him as a CF in the long term and if so, shouldn't he just play there? Even if it means the '26 team allows some more runs (though Marsh back in LF would also add some prevention). And the other question is he a platoon or not. Bader certainly has to play more than just, platoon with Marsh, but if you move him around the OF he'd get more ABs.