There’s no off-season for front offices anymore — just a quiet panic disguised as planning.
And somewhere, Dave Dombrowski is staring at a whiteboard full of names, numbers, and question marks.
The Phillies’ 2026 roster doesn’t have a shape yet. What it has is a series of choices — some obvious, some uncomfortable, all arriving at once.
José Alvarado sits near the top of that list, his name written in bold ink and maybe a few coffee stains.
The left-hander comes with a $9 million club option and a $500,000 buyout, the kind of decision that seems easy until you start overthinking it. Dombrowski hinted at the direction already, saying he’d be “surprised” if Alvarado wasn’t back. That’s as close as an executive gets to an announcement before filing the paperwork.
Alvarado’s fastball still sounds like it breaks the sound barrier. Even with a PED suspension hanging over his year, he profiles as one of the most fearsome relief arms in the league. Declining the option would only invite a bidding war for the same pitcher. The Phillies won’t make that mistake.
If Alvarado feels like a sure thing, Harrison Bader feels like a coin flip tossed into the November wind.
His $10 million mutual option isn’t really mutual — few ever are. He’ll pocket a $3 million buyout if either side opts out, and that’s likely where this ends.
After hitting .305 in 50 games following his trade from Minnesota, Bader re-established himself as a defensive spark plug who can change a lineup’s energy. Players like that don’t settle for one-year flyers when multi-year offers await. The Phillies would love to keep his glove and chaos in center field, but love doesn’t balance the payroll.
And because Bader arrived mid-season, he’s ineligible for a qualifying offer. The Phillies can’t collect a draft pick if he leaves — same goes for J.T. Realmuto, who already played that card back in 2020.
The qualifying-offer conversation belongs instead to Kyle Schwarber and Ranger Suárez.
Each will receive the $22.025 million invitation that defines this year’s market. And each will decline, because they should. Schwarber’s power and Suárez’s October poise guarantee bigger checks or longer deals somewhere — maybe even here, but not under the one-year QO umbrella.
If either signs elsewhere, the Phillies get a consolation prize: a compensatory pick after the fourth round in the 2026 draft. That’s the modern baseball equivalent of a parting gift — a thank-you note written in scouting reports.
From there, the timeline turns ruthless.
Trades can resume within 24 hours of the World Series ending.
Free agents can start signing five days later.
And the non-tender deadline on Nov. 21 will decide the fate of arbitration-eligible players across the league.
That’s where Alec Bohm comes in — and maybe out.
He’s projected to earn $10.3 million in his final year of arbitration, a number that sits awkwardly between “productive regular” and “core piece.” His 102 OPS+ says average, his glove says adequate, and his price tag says negotiable. Dombrowski can offer arbitration, explore a trade, or attempt a smaller extension. Each option carries its own gamble.
Around Bohm, the arbitration line stretches long enough to fill a dugout:
Jesús Luzardo ($10.4 M), Jhoan Duran ($7.6 M), Bryson Stott ($5.8 M), Brandon Marsh ($4.5 M), Edmundo Sosa ($3.9 M), Tanner Banks ($1.2 M), and Rafael Marchán ($1 M).
Most will be tendered, but “tendered” doesn’t mean “untouchable.”
Marsh and Stott could both be on the market this winter, depending on how Dombrowski reads the room.
At the edge of the roster, Garrett Stubbs waits for his verdict. Projected at $925,000 and out of options, he can’t simply be sent to Lehigh Valley anymore. A non-tender followed by a spring-training invite feels likely, unless another club sees value in a left-handed-hitting backup who dances his way through dugouts.
All of this unfolds barely a week after the World Series confetti lands.
That’s baseball’s cruel joke: the sport that moves at a glacial pace for six months suddenly becomes a sprint once the lights go out.
So the Phillies get no breather, no grace period, no pause.
Their next season has already begun — on spreadsheets, in late-night calls, and in quiet hotel lobbies where decisions about millions of dollars happen between cups of coffee.
The stove isn’t hot yet, but the gas is on.
And in this city, the baseball clock never really stops ticking.
At the edge of the roster, Garrett Stubbs waits for his verdict. Projected at $925,000 and out of options, he can’t simply be sent to Lehigh Valley anymore. A non-tender followed by a spring-training invite feels likely, unless another club sees value in a left-handed-hitting backup who dances his way through dugouts.
All of this unfolds barely a week after the World Series confetti lands.
That’s baseball’s cruel joke: the sport that moves at a glacial pace for six months suddenly becomes a sprint once the lights go out.
So the Phillies get no breather, no grace period, no pause.
Their next season has already begun — on spreadsheets, in late-night calls, and in quiet hotel lobbies where decisions about millions of dollars happen between cups of coffee.
The stove isn’t hot yet, but the gas is on.
And in this city, the baseball clock never really stops ticking.
Loading Phillies schedule...
Loading NL East standings...
Support the Mission. Fuel the Movement.
You’re not just funding journalism — you’re backing the future of youth baseball in Philly.
👉 Join us on Patreon »