One of Rob Thomson’s first calls Monday night, soon after Adolis García passed his physical examination in Philadelphia, was to a 21-year-old who has yet to appear in a big-league game. Thomson, the Phillies manager, wanted to make everything clear to Justin Crawford: The organization believes — and believes quite a bit — that he is ready to be an everyday outfielder in the majors.
Now, after exploring trades and digging into the free-agent market, the Phillies have a clearer idea of how it will look. Crawford, barring something unforeseen, will be the center fielder. García, signed Tuesday to a one-year, $10 million deal, is the right fielder. Brandon Marsh will be the strong side of a platoon in left field.
Two-thirds of the outfield will be different in 2026, and that might represent the most significant roster change for a team that won 96 games but stumbled again in October. It’s an outfield configuration that prompts legitimate apprehension, but it is the one the Phillies plan to use.
“A lot of people look at it, they’re unsure,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Tuesday during a conference call. “But if you’re going to give Crawford an opportunity, you’ve got to give it to him. And that’s where we are. We’re going to give him the opportunity to go out there and have a chance to play a lot. So, basically, I think our outfield’s pretty well set.”
If the outfield is set, the heaviest lifting in Dombrowski’s offseason might be nearly complete. The Phillies are still trying to sign J.T. Realmuto; major-league sources said the two sides have discussed various multi-year contract scenarios. They have not found common ground. It is a tricky situation. Both sides are entrenched — and both might need each other.
“We continue to stay in contact, but probably not a lot different than where we’ve been in the past,” Dombrowski said. “So we just continue to grind along and see if we can come up with a solution. We’ve talked consistently about trying to sign J.T. and we remain that way. But, you know, we haven’t been able to get it done so far.”
The Phillies and J.T. Realmuto’s camp have discussed various multi-year contract scenarios but have yet to find common ground. (Terence Lewis / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Beyond that, the Phillies will continue searching for much-needed pitching depth. They could pursue one-year deals for relievers. They are not said to be shopping for any starting pitchers on multi-year contracts. Maybe that changes if certain markets collapse, but that is typical mid-December rhetoric.
The Phillies aren’t done.
For now, as Dombrowski hinted, what you see is what you get.
Dombrowski has been bullish on Crawford for the better part of a year; there was a moment last summer when the veteran executive came close to promoting Crawford. This entire thing does not hinge on Crawford; he’ll probably bat ninth for the Phillies in 2026. But he is a prospect who elicits extreme opinions. Dombrowski might be the high man on him across the entire industry.
It also does not hinge on García, a buy-low candidate who was available on a one-year deal because his previous employer, the offense-starved Texas Rangers, had seen enough. The Phillies are convinced they have a better situation to salvage García than whatever Texas tried. There is upside to García, perhaps more than last year’s $10 million outfield signing, Max Kepler, but García has posted a .278 on-base percentage over his last 1,184 plate appearances. That is damning evidence.
“The focus is not to be a hero,” García said, as interpreted by Phillies assistant general manager Jorge Velandia. “To have good at-bats, the concentration, the focus level, the approach of things. You know what I mean? Just (stay) within myself.”
In the other outfield corner, the Phillies are betting Marsh is closer to the .303/.358/.478 slash line he posted after May 1 rather than the dismal 4-for-42 start to his season. They are treating him as a platoon player now, rather than holding onto hope he can produce against lefty pitchers. Dombrowski has continued to hype Otto Kemp as a possible partner, although the Phillies remain active in seeking complementary right-handed bats, league sources said. One obvious free-agent fit: Rob Refsnyder, who has a strong market.
Justin Crawford, pictured in spring training, will be the everyday center fielder after impressing in Triple A last season. (Kim Klement Neitzel / Imagn Images)
The Phillies were not wed to this outfield alignment. They poked around on potential trades for center fielders, including Brenton Doyle, Jake Meyers and Luis Robert Jr., according to league sources. But the Phillies do not have young pitching to trade. That diminished their hand. After years of depleting the farm system, they preferred to deal from their big-league roster. That has complicated some trade talks.
Nick Castellanos, whom García is replacing, will be traded or released before spring training. Bader, who finished the season in center, will likely land elsewhere as well.
The Phillies stayed in contact with Harrison Bader’s camp, but a sizable gap separated the two sides as Bader emerged from a career-best season at age 31. Bader had a tremendous two months with the club. In 2025, he logged 500 plate appearances in a season for the first time. García has reached at least 547 in each of the past five seasons. That was one factor. García was cheaper. That was another factor.
So, barring Realmuto finding a different home, Dombrowski acted like someone content with the situation. The Phillies could pivot and devote payroll dollars earmarked for Realmuto to a pitcher. Maybe they’d pursue a third baseman, then flip Alec Bohm for further payroll relief to make it all fit. But those are all backup scenarios. For now.
“I think you’re always trying to get better, but I don’t have a real big need,” Dombrowski said. “I guess we’d look for arms in the bullpen, but we’ve also got five solid guys out there that are of veteran status. And sometimes you have to give some young guys an opportunity, too. We have some guys that we like. So, that’s really where it stands. … As far as our everyday positional players, other than catcher, we’re pretty well set.”
That includes Crawford. The Phillies were unwilling to promote him last season, but now they are handing him a job in mid-December. Much like the bet on García, it’s a fascinating gambit. Crawford will be 22 years and 74 days old on Opening Day, which would make him the club’s youngest outfielder since Orlando Isales played two games as a 20-year-old rookie in 1980.
“I want him to come into camp and be himself,” Thomson said. “And if he is himself, he’ll make this club. I just like the way the entire outfield is sort of shaping up right now.”