Phillies 2026 outfield outlook: Free-agent options, prospect forecast, and more

The Phillies’ outfield is back in a familiar situation: up in the air.

For the past few years, the outfield has been a place of major turnover. The Phillies have spent several offseasons and trade deadlines in the market for an outfield upgrade, but have yet to find a permanent solution. And this winter, there are more questions than ever.

“It’s the one area that’s probably not as strong as some of the other areas with the club,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said of the outfield at his year-end news conference.

Here’s a breakdown of the Phillies’ outfield outlook in 2026 and beyond.

Brandon Marsh started the 2025 season with the worst slump of his career: a .095 batting average through his first 17 games. But after suffering a hamstring strain in April, he returned from his rehab assignment at triple-A Lehigh Valley a different player.

Over the next 116 games, Marsh hit over .300 to finish the season with a .280 batting average and .785 OPS.

Beneath those numbers, Marsh continued to struggle against left-handed pitching, slashing .197/.287/.289 in 88 plate appearances, the most he’s had against lefties in a major league season. But he also made some strides: His .172 average against breaking pitches in 2024 was up to .298 in 2025.

Defensively, Marsh saw more time in center field early in the season until the acquisition of Harrison Bader, when he moved back to left as his primary position. Marsh recorded +1 outs above average in left field and -1 in center field.

Marsh’s position in 2026 will be dependent on whatever moves the Phillies make this winter, as well as Justin Crawford. The Phillies’ No. 3 prospect played center and left in triple A.

“That’s one of the things you’d have to look for us, is who is your best center fielder, if you have all those guys that are on your team,” Dombrowski said.

“Crawford can play left or center. Bader can play left or center, has been exceptional in center field. Marsh can play both. He’s been fine in center, but he’s been a little bit better in left, so I don’t know which roles they would play.”

While the Phillies still owe Nick Castellanos $20 million next season for the final year of the contract he signed in 2022, Dombrowski was not definitive that he would be back with the club.

“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “I don’t know. I’m not going to get into specific players that are on our roster under contract.”

In June, Castellanos was benched for a game in Miami for making what manager Rob Thomson described as an “inappropriate comment” after he was removed for a defensive replacement. He was shifted to a platoon role in August, and in September, Castellanos described his communication with his manager as “questionable.”

» READ MORE: Phillies wisely pick up José Alvarado’s option. They’d be wiser still to trade Nick Castellanos ASAP.

Thomson maintained at his year-end news conference that their relationship is fine.

“From my perspective, it’s good,” he said. “I mean, I never hold any grudges, or if I have a problem with a player or another coach, it doesn’t linger. I’m always a guy that’s going to turn the page on that type of thing.”

But even leaving aside potential issues with Thomson, Castellanos finished with a .250 batting average, his lowest since 2020, and an OPS+ of 88. In right field, he recorded -11 defensive runs saved and -12 outs above average.

Castellanos, who had been playing through a left knee injury for a large part of the season, did have some key offensive contributions in the National League Division Series. His RBI double scored the Phillies’ only run in Game 4 against the Dodgers.

To cut ties with Castellanos this winter through a trade or releasing him would require the Phillies to eat most, if not all, of the remaining $20 million on his deal.

The Phillies signed Max Kepler last winter to a one-year deal, betting on a rebound year after an injury-marred 2024.

He didn’t quite meet their expectations, hitting .216 with a .691 OPS primarily in a platoon role against right-handed pitchers. After some extended struggles at the plate from May to July, Kepler stepped it up over the final two months of the season, with seven homers and 19 RBIs.

Dombrowski gave a hint about Kepler’s future with the club this offseason.

“Max Kepler, I think did a solid job for us,” Dombrowski said. “Well, he’s not going to, most likely, be back because he’s a free agent, and we have Justin Crawford coming. So there’s a built-in type of adjustment.”

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Bader, also, is a free agent after declining his end of a mutual option, but Dombrowski’s comments about him left the door a little more open for a reunion. Dombrowski described Bader, Kyle Schwarber, pitcher Ranger Suárez, and catcher J.T. Realmuto as free agents who were “key guys” for the Phillies in 2025.

“Bringing them back, not bringing them back, we’d love to have them all if it worked out,” he said. “It’s probably impractical when you’re going to have all four of them back.”

After the Phillies acquired him from the Twins at the trade deadline, Bader played his way into the role of everyday center fielder. In 50 games after the trade, Bader hit .305 with an .824 OPS to cap one of the best seasons of his career.

The 31-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in Game 1 of the NLDS and played a limited role after that in the next three games as a pinch-hitter.

When healthy, though, Bader had +13 defensive runs saved and +7 outs above average in the outfield in 2025.

“[The outfield] was much improved in the second half,” Dombrowski said. “I don’t know where Bader fits into that. If he re-signs, that changes the picture, too.”

Though it is a rarity to see Schwarber in the outfield — he played eight games on defense last season, all in left — his free agency decision could have ripple effects for the Phillies’ outfield picture in 2026.

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The NL MVP finalist’s impact on the offense is straightforward. Schwarber led the National League with 56 home runs and the majors with 132 RBIs. But whether the Phillies re-sign him this winter could inform their conversations with some high-priced free agent outfielders. If Schwarber departs, they might instead set their sights on a player like Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger.

So far, the Phillies have been clear about their interest in a reunion.

“We’d love to bring Kyle Schwarber back. It’s a priority for us,” Dombrowski said. “He knows it, but I also know he’s a free agent, so that’s what ends up happening when guys have free agency. You never know what happens. But it’s a real priority for us to try to bring him back, and he knows that, his representative knows it. But we’ll see what happens.”

A tweaked quadriceps prevented Johan Rojas from being a consideration for the Phillies’ NLDS roster as an option for speed off the bench. The 25-year-old has recovered and is playing winter ball for the Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League.

Through his first 12 games there, Rojas is slashing .361/.489/.556 with two home runs and five stolen bases.

Rojas spent most of the season in the majors, but he was optioned to triple A on Aug. 1 after the arrival of Bader to get more consistent playing time. Rojas had a strong April but leveled off in May and June. Over 71 major league games, he hit .224 with a .569 OPS. On defense, he posted +5 outs above average in center field and +4 defensive runs saved.

Utility players Weston Wilson (27 games) and Otto Kemp (11 games) both saw time in left field, primarily in platoons with Marsh. Wilson posted -2 outs above average in the outfield, and Kemp had -1.

With the infield “pretty well solidified,” according to Dombrowski, it would seem that the likeliest opportunity for Kemp to make a major league impact next season would be in the outfield. Kemp showed some potential pop against lefties with a .462 slugging percentage in 74 plate appearances last year.

But would the Phillies be concerned that keeping him in a potential platoon role would stunt Kemp’s growth?

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“I can’t answer that question right now because I don’t know the answer,” Dombrowski said. “I think Otto Kemp has a chance to be an everyday player, and he has a chance to be an everyday player next year. He has thump in his bat. That ball jumps off his bat. We really like him. We like his makeup.

“He can play a couple different spots, as you’ve seen. Where that would end up happening, would he play all over the place? That also is a possibility. But we really like him a great deal.”

Crawford doesn’t have much left to prove at the minor league level.

While Crawford was hitting .334 with an .863 OPS in triple A this season, Dombrowski said at multiple points that the organization believed he was ready for the major leagues. Thomson reiterated that in October.

“Crawford, looks like there’s not much more you do in the minor leagues for him,” he said.

But the Phillies also haven’t seen a path to everyday playing time just yet. Dombrowski has been straightforward that once Crawford does arrive in the majors, he will need to play every day for his development.

» READ MORE: The Phillies are eyeing an infusion of youth for 2026. Here’s how three top prospects can fit.

After playing 76 games in center and 30 in left for the IronPigs, Crawford’s season ended early with a concussion following an outfield collision. He wasn’t a participant in the Phillies’ stay-ready camp for the playoffs.

But there will be movement this offseason. And Crawford will most likely head into spring training with a chance to make the opening-day roster, though there’s still the question of whether his long-term future will be in center or left.

Offensively, Crawford increased his walk rate from 6.5% to 11.5% in triple A last season. A common critique of his game is his high ground ball rate, as balls on the ground are less likely to get through for hits against major league defenses. Crawford’s ground ball rate in 2025 was 59.4%, but he made slight improvement in his line drive rate from 18.7% last season to 22.9% in 2025.

Crawford also has elite speed: He stole 46 bases in 2025.

The Phillies’ approach to the free-agent market this winter will likely be informed by how things shake out with their own potential departures first.

“There’s some built-in situations for us that are going to have to be addressed,” Dombrowski said. “So where you go as a club is very much dictated on some of those moves that end up happening.”

Tucker, 29, is one of the biggest names on the market this winter and should fetch a massive contract. The left-handed-hitting right fielder posted a .266/.377/.464 slash line in 136 games with the Cubs.

He dealt with some injuries, first a hairline fracture in his hand that he played through, then a left calf strain that landed him on the injured list in September. Tucker, who has been an All-Star for four straight years, finished with 22 home runs and 25 stolen bases. He recorded -2 outs above average in right field.

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Another prominent name on the free agent market is Bellinger. The 30-year-old outfielder slashed .272/.334/.480 for the Yankees this season. He bashed 29 homers and drove in 98 runs, the most since his 2019 MVP season.

Bellinger played all three outfield positions for New York in 2025 and can also play first base, potentially offering the Phillies some flexibility to rest Bryce Harper when needed. Bellinger is overall a plus defender in the outfield, posting +7 outs above average in 2025.

Trent Grisham is coming off a career year with the Yankees. The 29-year-old hit 34 home runs with 74 RBIs, both career highs. The center fielder had a .235/.348/.464 slash line over 143 games. Defensively, he posted -2 outs above average in center field.

Following Crawford in the Phillies’ outfield prospect pipeline is Dante Nori, who is playing in the Arizona Fall League after finishing his first full professional season in double-A Reading.

The 21-year-old lefty had a .375 batting average through his first 10 games in Arizona, with two doubles and an inside-the-park homer. He is ranked as the Phillies’ No. 6 prospect by MLBPipeline.

Gabriel Rincones Jr. turned some heads in spring training last year with a few monster home runs. The 24-year-old spent the season in triple A, where he had a .799 OPS and hit 18 homers. The Phillies’ No. 9 prospect, Rincones is eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December unless he is added to the 40-man roster by Nov. 18.

» READ MORE: Where will Kyle Schwarber land? Sizing up the Phillies’ competition in the free-agent sweepstakes

Felix Reyes is not listed among MLBPipeline’s top 30 Phillies prospects but is another name to know. A utility player, Reyes, 24, played 31 games in left and 29 games in right last season between double A and triple A. He also saw time at first base, third base, and designated hitter.

Reyes hit .331 with a .923 OPS to go with 16 home runs and 67 RBIs. He is playing winter ball for the Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League and is also Rule 5-eligible this year.