With Kyle Schwarber back, the Phillies can focus on other roster needs after winter meetings
Among the areas that still need to be addressed are the bullpen and outfield. “I feel a lot better leaving the meetings than I did coming into the meetings," Dave Dombrowski said.
ORLANDO — The Phillies’ cohort will leave Disney World on Thursday with more clarity than when they arrived.
By signing Kyle Schwarber to a five-year, $150 million deal on Tuesday at the winter meetings, the Phillies now have a better sense of direction for the rest of their offseason.
“I feel a lot better leaving the meetings than I did coming into the meetings because we filled a big spot,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “And with that, we’ve been able to proceed forward.”
» READ MORE: Kyle Schwarber found his way back to the Phillies, and he hopes J.T. Realmuto does the same
Schwarber was the first major domino to fall this free agency cycle. Pete Alonso followed on Wednesday, agreeing to terms with the Orioles, according to multiple outlets.
From his point of view, Schwarber felt like his free agency process was a “standard” length of time.
“I felt like I got all the information I needed to make a decision, and I wanted to be respectful of everyone,” he said. “That’s how I operate. I wanted to be respectful of the Phillies. I wanted to be respectful to the other teams I talked to. And I know that there’s a long road in the offseason, but also, too, I wanted to make sure that I had the time to decide.”
While the process itself wasn’t rushed, Schwarber was in a rush to get his physical completed in Philadelphia after coming to an agreement. He and his wife Paige are expecting the birth of their daughter very soon.
And now, instead of worrying about contingency plans to fill a Schwarber-sized hole in the lineup, the Phillies can focus their attention on other areas of need.
One area they have already started to address is the bullpen. Dombrowski said this week that the Phillies have five spots in the bullpen that are solidified — lefties José Alvarado, Matt Strahm, and Tanner Banks, and righties Jhoan Duran and Orion Kerkering — but there could be competition for the final three spots.
The Phillies added some potential relief depth on Wednesday with a trade for right-hander Yoniel Curet from the Rays in exchange for minor league pitcher Tommy McCollum. In 2024, Curet was Tampa Bay’s No. 18 prospect by MLB Pipeline, but he dealt with a shoulder injury in 2025 that limited him to 55⅓ innings.
He was designated for assignment by the Rays earlier this week, but the Phillies were intrigued by his fastball.
They also were intrigued by Marlins right-hander Zach McCambley and selected him in Wednesday’s Rule 5 draft.
» READ MORE: Phillies select pitcher Zach McCambley in Rule 5 draft: ‘He could make the team’
“It’s a pretty much a heavy cutter/slider attack with a good fastball that sits 94 up to 96 [mph],” said Phillies director of professional scouting Mike Ondo. “The guy throws strikes, and he’s really, really tough on right-handed hitters. And I think that was one of the big appeals for us.”
McCambley has experience as a starter and a reliever, and the Phillies liked his versatility.
There are other, bigger priorities still being worked on behind the scenes, and at the top of the list is catcher. Fresh off his own re-signing, Schwarber has joined the recruiting effort for J.T. Realmuto.
“I’d be lying that I didn’t send a text to J.T. trying to see where he’s at and try to coax him,” he said.
Reshaping the outfield also is a priority. Dombrowski reiterated this week the Phillies’ desire to find a “change of scenery for Nick Castellanos.
“We’ve got work to do,” Dombrowski said of the outfield. “We’ve got a couple of options, with [Brandon] Marsh, and in this situation where we’ve talked about [Justin] Crawford, we’re going to give him that opportunity to make the club and we feel good about it. [Johan] Rojas is out there. We claimed [Pedro] León on waivers. We’ve got [Otto] Kemp that can go out there and play. …
“We’ve got work to do, is what it comes down to, and we continue to try to make things happen.”
» READ MORE: Phillies opt to stretch their competitive window with Kyle Schwarber and Co., and baseball seems to agree
Even with the areas that seem mostly set, there could be changes. Starting pitching wasn’t a big focus for the Phillies last winter, but they still traded for Jesús Luzardo, viewing it as an opportunity to improve. Dombrowski said they are staying “open-minded” this year, too.
But it sure helps that the first item on the to-do list is checked off.
“It’s given us then parameters on where we can go forward with different things and what we need to address,” Dombrowski said. “ … I feel very good in adding Schwarbs, because we know what he can be, and it’s one big need we do not have anymore.”