Phillies 2026 News and Discussion

[Callison]

Phils fans know fan discouragement up close and personal, so the losing streak is only another chapter. Any game now they could be really good again.

Watching Nola lose control again is also something we've seen before. Maybe JT needs to visit the mound to get him refocused the first time he throws something he obviously doesn't control. Need to try something different. Maybe meditation. Maybe burn some incense and pour a double for Jobu.

[andyb]

When it rains it pours. Stubbs is back.

Phillies to put J.T. Realmuto on injured list in latest blow: Sources

[zambonir]

Geez. And somehow he was our best RHB too.

[andyb]

For Stubbs is last year's 753 AAA OPS indicative of his talent (which translates to 600 at best in MLB) or this year's 1045 OPS? At least he is hitting well in recent weeks even if he is still probably a 600 OPS major league bat. Not sure Marchan is a 600 OPS bat in extended exposure.

[zambonir]

Yeah I don't know that JT will be out long enough to create any kind of competition since but that spring training scenario where Stubbs is no more or less useful than Dylan Moore could theoretically come back into play. If Marchan had options would be an easy call right now.

[VoteForKalas]

If we are hoping Stubbs aids this offense, we are in big trouble. His best attribute is working and game planning with pitchers effectively.

[zambonir]

He only has to help the offense more than the guy with the negative 31 OPS+, even if it's only briefly.

[BostonRoss]

We are starting to pay for the prospects we have dealt over the past few years:

Ben Brown, Eduardo Tait, Hao Yu Lee, George Klassen, Hendry Mendez, William Bergolla, Starlyn Caba, Logan O'Hoppe, even Moniak.

There are a bunch of productive major leaguers and top prospects out there that we drafted or helped develop. Bergolla is developing into another Luis Arraez type. Still no power but OPS of over 1000 in AAA at age 21.

We haven't lost any of those trades yet.

Brown for Robertson - 0.7 WAR for Robertson, Brown still negative WAR so far.
Tait and Abel for Duran - 1.7 WAR so far for Duran (in 30 games), Abel 0.1 WAR since the trade. Tait is 19; so way too early to know what he will be.
Lee for Lorenzen - -0.1 WAR for Lorenzen, -0.1 WAR so far for Lee
Klassen (and Aldegheri) for Estevez - 0.6 WAR for Estevez, -0.3 WAR so far for Klassen
Mendez (and Villoria) for Bader - 1.3 WAR for Bader, Mendez is in AA
Bergolla for Banks - 1.9 WAR so far for Banks, Bergolla is only 21 (his 1.096 OPS is in 10 games; he was .675 in AA)
Caba (and Boyd) for Luzardo (and McIntosh) - Luzardo 3.6 WAR so far, Caba is 20 at A+
O'Hoppe for Marsh - Marsh 9.2 WAR since the trade, O'Hoppe 3.0
Moniak (and Jadiel Sanchez) for Thor - 0.6 WAR for Thor, 1.6 so far for Moniak

OK, maybe we lost the Moniak trade, but so far he's a half WAR per year guy, and he'll be 28 next month; so I'm not upset.

The players we got are some 15 WAR ahead of the guys we gave up so far. Of course, some of the young players who haven't made the majors or have just started playing in the show will undoubtedly have some positive value. But Duran, Marsh, Luzardo, and Banks are also still producing.

Overall, so far that's a good set of trades for the Phillies.

[andyb]

It's not about losing the trades as much as it about mortgaging the future.

[BostonRoss]

It's not about losing the trades as much as it about mortgaging the future.

It's not clear the Phillies have done that. The players they still have may outperform the players they gave up, the value received notwithstanding.

[David_Criss]

Why didn't Rangel open tonight instead of Backhus??????Watching Walker the opnly move I want to see on Sunday is Walker DFAed, Wheeler activated.

[zambonir]

The Phillies Need Help. Jesús Luzardo Needs an Exorcism.

Covers everything, including the offense and unsurprising issues.

[bkox]

Phillies release Taijuan Walker (9.13 ERA) whose $72M, 4-year deal didn’t work. The ex-Met was in the last year of his deal.

— Jon Heyman ( @JonHeyman ) April 23, 2026

[zambonir]

See, miracles do happen! Gotta think this was also an easy way to throw the fans a bone.

And it opens the roster spot. They couldn't really afford to cut loose another pitcher. Nolan Hoffman also up for Rangel and Lazar went to the 60 to make room for Stubbs.

[Philsmania]

We are paying a total of $38 million, more or less, to Casty and Walker this year. That and Dombrowski's comment that "we don't really have a cleanup hitter right now" really ought to put him on thin ice. If I was the owner, I would be considering a change.

[andyb]

It's not clear the Phillies have done that. The players they still have may outperform the players they gave up, the value received notwithstanding.

You are talking about the success and failure of individual deals. I am talking about long term strategy and there is no question that the Phillies have traded long term prospect value for short term gain. And since they have not won anything these past few years it really does not matter how many WAR players like Harrison Bader earned versus the prospects he was traded for (Hendry Mendez was the big piece). Bader will earn no more WAR for the Phillies. Mendez might earn WAR for the Twins.

We just don't have a whole lot of good prospects especially after Crawford and Painter graduate. It is a bad system and we appear to be betting on an inside straight for Miller to succeed.

I am actually NOT criticizing that deal strategy. Just noting that in large part it did not work in terms of playoff success and left us with a poor farm system. Like it or not, that is where we are today.

[andyb]

And it opens the roster spot. They couldn't really afford to cut loose another pitcher. Nolan Hoffman also up for Rangel and Lazar went to the 60 to make room for Stubbs.

Someone will go for Wheeler on Saturday. Probably just want Hoffman to be there to potentially eat some innings in a blowout. Lazar was an easy move as he is not pitching yet so the soonest he would be ready would be late May anyway.

[Philsmania]

It's not clear the Phillies have done that. The players they still have may outperform the players they gave up, the value received notwithstanding.

You are talking about the success and failure of individual deals. I am talking about long term strategy and there is no question that the Phillies have traded long term prospect value for short term gain. And since they have not won anything these past few years it really does not matter how many WAR players like Harrison Bader earned versus the prospects he was traded for (Hendry Mendez was the big piece). Bader will earn no more WAR for the Phillies. Mendez might earn WAR for the Twins.

We just don't have a whole lot of good prospects especially after Crawford and Painter graduate. It is a bad system and we appear to be betting on an inside straight for Miller to succeed.

I am actually NOT criticizing that deal strategy. Just noting that in large part it did not work in terms of playoff success and left us with a poor farm system. Like it or not, that is where we are today.

It all depends on whether you made that gamble (long-term for short-term) to give yourself to a chance to win a WS or if you made that gamble to win a WS. If it's the former, the gamble paid off. We had a chance, though it didn't work out. If it's the latter, the gamble lost. Same for all those trades the Phillies made for Lee, Halladay, Oswalt and Pence during the last golden age.

[zambonir]

Wheeler's not on the 60 anyway so I guess they just have to send Hoffman back down. Obviously Rangel wouldn't have been available to pitch the next few days.

[David_Criss]

Its Hoffman up, Wheeler and Rangel down???? Is there not a bat on the 40-man they could call up until Wheeler is needed on Sunday? I know it is just three games, but why not take advantage of the open spot for someone?