Phillies 2026 Spring Training Discussion

[Florida_Sunshine]

Agree. I would let him go.

[andyb]

It is not as if the sample size on Moore is that large. 7-31 is not awful and he'd be on the bench more for his defense. De La Cruz has hit better, but his D is not as good and he was coming off a long winter campaign so he had a head start.

It really does not matter that much. Roster management to keep both players would favor Moore.

[Callison]

I think Rob likes Moore for some reason. 7 - 31 is a lot better than he hit last season. IMHO he's taking up valuable space that the Phils could use to evaluate players with big upsides.

All three of my new-top-of-the-order-candidate players, Crawford - leadoff, Stott- leadoff, and Kemp - 2nd, showed up today. If I'm making the decision today, Stott leads off. Hellacious Spring.

The competition for the last Pen slots is intense. Surprised to see so many capable arms. Gonna be some tough decisions to make.

Kind of a tradition for the Phils to pay an OF about $10M only to have him hit about .200, suffer injury or disease, one way or another make no contribution and Garcia has looked ready for the role for a while this Spring, but looking REAL good lately.

[andyb]

The 26th man barely plays though. It won't be in a platoon and we hardly ever pinch hit unless a bench player like Marchan is starting. We can't give that role to a younger player because they would not develop. Giving it to an older player with useful defense (for Kemp or Bohm for instance) is actually helpful to the team. It was the reason to give it to Rojas but that option is gone for now.

De La Cruz getting 1 start a week somewhere really would not move the needle too much and we might actually want him playing regularly in AAA in case of an injury.

[zambonir]

Moore could just use this as leverage to get a bigger AAA salary. He would also get $100K automaticallly though I think him triggering the opt-out might close that off already (and, in fact, maybe it requires the Phillies to either DFA him or put him on the 40, no other negotiated option).

But they could also just put him on the 40 and DFA him in a week. If there's really another team out there ready to give him a spot, good for him.

It seems like what the Phillies like about Moore over De La Cruz is he can play the infield, but so can Kemp.

[andyb]

The Nationals have an Athletic beat reporter finally and his newest roster projection has Griff McGarry returning to the Phillies. They never tried him seriously as a starter and he just has had control issues coming out of the bullpen. We will see if this holds of course. McGarry does need more work and success out of the bullpen but one could also see him as a second half option for us at some point.

[dcsman]

I’m not sure where to put this but apparently Harry the K’s is out at CBP as is Shake Shack.

I’m really finding the monetization of the ballpark to be disgusting.

[Philsmania]

I’m not sure where to put this but apparently Harry the K’s is out at CBP as is Shake Shack.

I’m really finding the monetization of the ballpark to be disgusting.

Never was impressed with Harry the K's. Went there once when the ballpark opened in 2004, never found it worthwhile to return to.

[fish]

Bowlan was throwing a real nasty changeup today- a lot of drop and fade. I didn’t know he had that but it’s a real separator especially when he’s inconsistent with his slider.

[zambonir]

Yeah "Harry the K's" never felt like a real honor but the new corporate name is still weak, and they could have just had a the sponsor add their brand to the existing name! It was no different than any other place to buy beer or alcohol.

I'm a huge Shake Shack fan and they are quite good at delivering a quality product via Aramark but it's not like they are a local small business (neither is what's replacing them, of course). A New York business, in fact!

[David_Criss]

https://x.com/kileymcd/status/2035351881938006484
Crawford officially makes the team

Kiley McDaniel
@kileymcd
CF Justin Crawford has been told he’s made the Phillies Opening Day roster, per source.

Crawford is the 69th-ranked prospect in the sport on my latest top 100:

[Ryles]

I agree. Harry the K's never seemed like a special sports bar with a Harry vibe. It was just another bar/beer stand. Shake Shack was good but NY-base never felt right.

[Philsmania]

I like Shake Shack but, yeah, they are totally NY. They were at CitiField well before they were at CBP..

I miss the Schmitter. A lot of the local culinary and imbibement flavor--especially the local craft beers--has faded away through the years.

[Callison]

Crawford rising to the moment to earn it. Not intimidated. Nice triple off Tarik, too. Hellacious ST. Among MLB's elite speedsters. A Phils OF who can hit! Go on, Justin!

[kmc1019]

Really enjoying the prospect game versus the Blue Jays that is on TV now. Escobar and Reyes with home runs in the first inning. Wood, Obermueller, and especially McFarlane looking impressive on the mound.

[fish]

Really enjoying the prospect game versus the Blue Jays that is on TV now. Escobar and Reyes with home runs in the first inning. Wood, Obermueller, and especially McFarlane looking impressive on the mound.

Wood’s fastball was really good but his breaking balls didn’t have a lot of depth to miss bats today. Of the new college arms, Obermueller, Bowker and Youngerman were mostly 92-94 without any improvement in stuff year over year. I could see where Bowker could have Woo-like stuff if he can add 2-3 mph. Walter’s definitely was the most impressive at 97 with a nasty slider. Bowen matched him at 97-98, but not as good a breaking ball.

[zambonir]

Phillies Acquire Carter Kieboom From Guardians

[zambonir]

They are keeping Moore, for now

https://www.mlb.com/phillies/news/dylan-moore-justin-crawford-to-make-phillies-roster

[zambonir]

Phillies have ripped up Cristopher Sánchez’s contract and agreed to a new six-year deal from 2027 to 2032 with a club option for 2033. More to come.

— Matt Gelb ( @mattgelb.bsky.social ) March 22, 2026 at 8:47 AM

The new contract guarantees Cristopher Sánchez $107 million through 2032, including his $3.5 million salary in 2026, according to a league source.

— Matt Gelb ( @mattgelb.bsky.social ) March 22, 2026 at 8:56 AM

[Florida_Sunshine]

Funny, just yesterday I was thinking of how much value we are getting from Sanchez and wondered if he would be happy with his contract and whether or not the Phillies should redo his contract and get more term.

This seems like an underpay. But since some of these years would be arbitration years, that makes up for some of the valuation.

Edit: 3 of the 6 years of his new contract would have been arbitration years.