Unless you stayed up late Monday, you missed the party. The Phillies had a raucous celebration. They deserved it.

They were celebrating the fact that they had secured the National League Eastern Division pennant. It was the result of a six-month effort (seven and a half months if you count spring training) that resulted in the championship.

And yet, it was a hollow celebration. The story of this season will be something that hasn’t happened yet.

Maybe it will be an ooops-we’re-embarrassed press conference in early October.

Or…

Maybe it will be a confetti-laced triumphant parade down Broad Street in early November.

Something’s coming and it will be definitive. Whatever it is, it will probably be the final chapter of an era in Phillies history. In two months it will no longer be accurate to state that the window is closing on the Phillies. Two months from now that window pane will drop with a thud.

Two months from now, Kyle Schwarber, J,T, Realmuto and Ranger Suarez will become unrestricted free agents. The Phillies would like to retain all of them, but that doesn’t seem likely. Their negotiating position is limited because they’ve painted themselves into a corner with other contracts.

Zach Wheeler is 35 years old, but he is signed for two more years at a rate of $40 million each year. He will be 37 when his contract expires.

Bryce Harper is 32 years old, and he is signed through 2031 when he will be 38. He will make an average of $25 million per year.

Aaron Nola is 32 years old, and he is signed through 2030, when he will be 37. He will receive $24.6 million each year.

Christopher Sanchez is 28 years old and is under contract until 2030. He is being paid $2 million for this season, but by 2030 his salary will balloon to $15 million, unless the Phillies choose to exercise a buyout option in 2029 or 2030.

Nick Castellanos is 34 years old and has another year remaining in a contract that will pay him $20 million for the year.

Trea Turner is 32 years old, and he is signed through 2033, when he will be 40. He will be paid more than $27 million each season.

Yes, this is the organization that vowed to spend “stupid money” to put a winner on the field. It can afford to do that. Forbes says their managing partner, John Middleton, has a fortune valued at $4.3 billion.

But a look at these contracts might cause one to wonder if “stupid” doesn’t have more than one meaning.

To be fair, it probably doesn’t. Most of these players signed either as free agents or as pending free agents. The Phillies probably had to add a few extra years to some of the deals in order to lure those players to Philadelphia. If that’s what happened it would be hard to criticize those moves.

But that doesn’t change the fact that the Phillies are now saddled with a variety of expensive long-term contracts. Aging players in their declining years will soon occupy numerous roster spots and absorb substantial chunks of the payroll. They can’t take on three more. They probably shouldn’t take on even one more.

And yet, if any of these players leave, it will be a major ouch to the roster. If all three leave, the pain will be excruciating.

Suarez has made 51 starts over the past two seasons. He has been the winning pitcher 24 times, but and his team has won 33 of the games he has started. His departure would create a sizeable gap in the rotation. Since he’s only 29 years old, it might be reasonable to re-sign him to a four-year or five-year deal, but that might not be an option. If he’s negotiating with multiple clubs, somebody is likely to offer more years than the Phillies can match.

Realmuto is amazing. He is 34 years old, but he seems to have found his own private fountain of youth. He has caught 1,087 1/3 innings this season (through Tuesday) and that leads all major league catchers. He has thrown out 27 opponents attempting to steal bases, which leads the National League. He has done all that while maintaining a .263 batting average.

But, what if he hasn’t actually found his own private fountain of youth? What if age catches up to him sometime soon? The Phillies have to ask those questions and others. The likely answer to all of them can be summed up in a single word.

Goodbye.

And, what about Schwarber?

Take a breath.

Schwarber leads the league in homers with 53. He leads all of baseball in RBI with 128. which is 10 more than any other player has produced. He will certainly finish no lower than second in the NL voting for the Most Valuable Player award, and it isn’t a stretch to suggest that he might win the hardware for himself.

Of course, he’s never had a season like this one. This, at the age of 32, is almost certainly, his career year. If he stays healthy, he will probably continue to be an outstanding player for two or three more years, but it isn’t likely he will ever again be the player he is in 2025. In all likelihood, his skills will erode as he ages.

Just as those of Harper, Nola and Turner are likely to erode.

How many of these players do the Phillies want to carry?

Last week, Middleton told a New York sportswriter that the Phillies will do everything in their power to keep Schwarber in Philadelphia. He wouldn’t dare say anything else.

After all, he has to satisfy the fans. He has to satisfy his advertising partners. He even has to satisfy the media. They all want to see Schwarber remain on the team, and Middleton has to convince them that that’s what he wants as well.

I’m not sure it is what he wants. I’m not sure it should be what he wants.

I think the gold medal in Kyle Schwarber Sweepstakes will be won by somebody who offers a seven- or eight-year package worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

I think the Phillies would be well advised to settle for the Silver Medal.

A FEW STATISTICS (Wednesday’s games not included): Only eight big leaguers have batting averages at .300 or better, but three (Bo Bichette, George Springer and Vlad Guerrero) are Blue Jays … Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks leads the majors in triples with 16. Twelve of them have been hit on artificial surfaces … Grant Anderson of the Brewers has made 62 relief appearances without throwing even one wild pitch … Paul Skenes (2.03) leads the NL in ERA. The last Pirate to win the ERA title was John Candelaria in 1977 … Trevor Story of the Red Sox has stolen 30 bases without once being caught … The Phillies are 51-24 at home. On the road they’re 40-37 … Jose Soriano of the Angels has induced 29 batters to ground into double plays. That’s eight more than any other pitcher … Juan Soto of the Mets leads the majors in walks with 119. His former teammate, Aaron Judge of the Yankees, trails him by only six … Kyle Manzardo of the Guardians is six-for-eight in extra innings. He has driven in seven extra-inning runs … The Rockies are 10-32 in interleague play … Geraldo Perdomo of the Diamondbacks has scored 94 runs and driven 97. Those are astounding totals for a player with only 19 home runs.

Former Hall of Fame voter Jay Dunn has written baseball for The Trentonian for 57 years. Contact him at jaydunn8@aol.com

Originally Published: September 17, 2025 at 2:55 PM EDT