Yes, the offseason is going to be a strange one. With the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) ending December 1 and a lockout likely, the offseason is going to be a day-by-day process. The Phillies have nine arbitration eligible players on the roster for this winter.
The non-tender deadline this year will be around November 20th, but has not been officially announced. By that date, each of the arbitration-eligible players will either get a contract offer (tendered), be traded, or be non-tendered. Non-tendered players become free agents right away. Some teams also sign their borderline players to one-year deals ahead of the deadline, as the Phillies did last November with Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchan. Tendered players and the team keep negotiating a 2027 salary. If they haven’t agreed by a deadline in early-to-mid January, they swap salary figures and may go to a hearing. Last winter that deadline was January 8.
The projected salary figures come from MLB Trade Rumors.
First time eligible players
Bryan De La Cruz – projected to get $1.2-million
De La Cruz proved himself to be a solid bat off the bench and made some starts for the Phillies after being added to the 40-man roster and joining the team on July 5th. The 29-year-old hit .280/.349/.413/.762 in 34 games with the Phillies this season.
The right-hand hitting outfielder would be a good choice to be tendered and could even agree to a deal prior to the non-tender date.
Orion Kerkering – projected to get $1.5-million
In the grand scheme of things, $1.5-million is chump change, but Kerkering has worn out his welcome. It was a mild surprise that he was brought back after the fielding gaffe in the postseason last year and after his performance on the mound – a 4.97 ERA in 62 relief appearances – and his option down to Lehigh Valley on the penultimate day of the minor league season likely sealed his fate.
The 25-year-old may have a future, but it isn’t in Philadelphia.
Final season of eligibility
Jhoan Duran – projected to get $10.9-million
Duran is one of the best closers in the game and the Phillies will definitely tender him. With a 1.82 ERA in 61 games and having converted 33 of his 35 save opportunities, Duran will stick as the team’s closer for 2027. There are a couple questions about Duran going into the offseason though. First, will the Phillies look to sign him long-term? With another season of work, rookie Alex McFarlane could serve as the main set-up guy in 2027 and then take over as the team’s closer. Second, with a team in need of some roster turnover would the Phillies entertain the possibility of trading Duran this winter to get other pieces and anoint McFarlane as the closer for 2027?
Duran is either signed or traded, most likely signed. Whether that’s for one season or long-term is the question.
Brandon Marsh – projected to get $8.3-million
Had Marsh continued to produce anywhere near the numbers that he put up in the pre-All-Star portion of the season, he would be a lock not just to be tendered, but possibly signed long-term. Marsh’s numbers from the first half to the second half of the season are staggering.
| HR | RBI | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | |
| Pre All-Star | 15 | 46 | .301 | .339 | .490 | .829 |
| Post All-Star | 3 | 16 | .184 | .243 | .259 | .502 |
The finished product was 18 home runs, 62 RBI and a slash line of .260/.304/.408/.712, which isn’t horrible, but considering that he is not strong against left-handed pitching and is basically a platoon player, the Phillies won’t be inclined to give him anything nearing the $8.3-million mark he is projected to receive. Marsh hit .270 against right-handed pitchers and .223 against lefties in 2026.
Bryson Stott – projected to get $9.2-million
For all of the platooning that the Phillies insist on putting Stott through, guess what? He hit lefties at a .266 clip and righties at .252 in 2026. Granted, eight of his 10 home runs came against right-handed pitchers, but not everything revolves around power. It says here to put him in the lineup and let him play. It’s pretty apparent that what we saw in 2026 is what we get with Stott. His numbers from 2025 to 2026 were remarkable consistent and they are right in line with his career numbers.
| HR | RBI | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | |
| 2025 | 13 | 66 | .257 | .328 | .391 | .719 |
| 2026 | 10 | 67 | .256 | .334 | .401 | .735 |
| CAREER AVG | 12 | 60 | .256 | .321 | .387 | .708 |
While those numbers aren’t quite what was expected from Stott when he was coming through the system, they are certainly acceptable, especially considering that he can play three infield positions and plays all of them well. He may be most valuable at shortstop, which is his natural position, but Trea Turner has had that spot anchored down. That could change in the future.
Once the labor war ends, the Phillies will certainly re-sign Stott and he is a candidate to be a long-term signing, as he should be.
Garrett Stubbs – projected to get $1.0 – million
The Phillies seriously need to do something about their backup catcher position. As Scott Lauber pointed out in The Inquirer, the Phillies had more catchers on their postseason roster than they did reliable relievers by a three-to-two margin. The combo of Marchan and Stubbs had 150 at-bats this season with two home runs, nine RBI, 16 runs scored, five walks, 30 strikeouts, and a .120 average for Philadelphia. Thus far, the Phillies have refused to part with either of them, but the time has come to ditch at least one of the backups.
Between the two, Stubbs at least brings value in that he could serve as Aaron Nola‘s personal catcher. Nola has a far better ERA when pitching to Stubbs than he does with Realmuto, so it says here that if the Phillies are not going to go out and get a legitimate backup catcher, then Stubbs should catch every time that Nola’s turn comes up in the rotation. Stubbs is adequate defensively and for a million bucks might have some value behind the plate.
The rest of the arbitration eligibles
Tanner Banks – projected to get $1.4-million
Banks struggled early in the season and it turns out that he was hurting at the time. After getting healthy and rehabbing with Lehigh Valley, Banks pulled things together and finished the season strong. He also has the ability to pitch multiple innings, something that is a definite asset for any team.
At his projected value, Banks is worth bringing back even though his overall 2026 numbers – 0-4, 6.19 – in 32 appearances aren’t good. This is a guy who was extremely reliable out of the pen in 2025 with a 3.07 ERA. Let’s bring him back and see how much the injury skewed his 2026 numbers.
Derek Hill – projected to get $1.5-million
This was one of the few under the radar trade acquisitions that Dave Dombrowski has made in his tenure with the Phillies. Coming over from the White Sox where he hit .213 in 50 games, the right-handed hitting Hill was the perfect fit for the Phillies and hit .261 in 67 games. He has decent power and plays well defensively.
Look for the Phillies to bring Hill back and possibly sign him to a two or three-year deal at a reasonable value.
Rafael Marchan – projected to get $1.0-million
Basically, what is true for Stubbs is true for Marchan, except that he has not developed the type of relationship with any of the Phillies starting pitchers that Stubbs has. The tools have been there for Marchan and it’s possible that all he needs is to get into a regular playing routine with a team and he can be at least serviceable.
If the Phillies bring back one of their two backup catchers, hopefully, it will be Stubbs and Marchan will be allowed to seek greener pastures.
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