We are back with a Playoff-Bound edition of the 97.3 ESPN Phillies Mailbag.  Each week we take your questions and answer them on The Sports Bash with Mike Gill.  Tune in each Tuesday afternoon to hear your questions answered on the air.

How deep into the games do the Phillies need their starting pitchers to get to in order to advance?
~Pat

The Phillies have some pretty good starting pitching, even with the unfortunate health issues keeping Zack Wheeler off of the mound for the playoffs.  I think the length the starters get depends on their

As Phillies reliever Matt Strahm noted in a post on X, Cristopher Sanchez led the league in WAR in 2025.  I think that Sanchez will get the longest rope, because we know he can put together seven or eight innings and be dominant.

If Sanchez can comfortably go seven innings, he will go seven.

Jesus Luzardo and Ranger Suarez had really nice seasons but are a tick below.  Depending on matchups and who is coming up, the bullpen depth does not really require that they go more than six innings.

Aaron Nola I think would face a shorter leash, particularly if come the fifth or six inning the likes of Shohei Ohtani or Freddie Freeman are due up.

With Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks from the left side and righties Jhoan Duran, David Robertson, and Orion Kerkering able to take the ball each and every night, there will be plenty of options in the bullpen.

If a starter somehow fails to go deep and exits very early, I would think that Walker Buehler is the choice.

How confident are you that Thomson will do the right thing and not let Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott face LHP?
~CJ

I think there was a game that the Phillies offense really took off, and that was once the Phillies committed to the outfield platoons.  I love the outfield of Brandon Marsh, Harrison Bader, and Max Kepler the most.  However, they do have splits that indicate that they would be better off facing right-handed pitching.

Should the Dodgers make the NLDS – and we should not assume, despite them being the favorites, their depth chart currently lists just three starters: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Blake Snell.   The Dodgers plan to use Snell and Yamamoto first in the NLDS, with Ohtani starting game one of the NLDS if they advance after two.

The Dodgers have two strong lefty starters in Ohtani and Snell.

The Reds, meanwhile, are planning on Hunter Greene, Zack Littell, and Andrew Abbott in Game 3.  Abbot is the lone lefty of the bunch.

I do believe that the Phillies will line up their righties against the lefties mentioned above.

Edmundo Sosa was stellar before, but especially after returning from the Injured List, going 5 for 13 with four home runs.  I doubt they would keep him out with that opportunity to play.

Marsh, meanwhile, closed the season batting .300 against right-handed pitching, and just .197 against lefties.

He did indeed have a big hit against a lefty here or there.  I would imagine, depending how a bullpen is played, that he will face a tough lefty or two here or there.   But he might just come through.

So in summary, I think the Phillies will do what got them to the Postseason: play the platoons at second base, left field, and right field.

What free agents you see the Phillies going after this offseason?
~Anthony

I know a couple: J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber.   I feel pretty good about their ability to land both, as well.  But beyond that? I don’t think that there will be too many other free agents the Phillies will go after.

As I’ve said before, I can’t imagine the Phillies would allow Schwarber to participate in the 2026 Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park.  That just would never happen.  They cannot allow such a thing.

As for Realmuto, with the lack of catching and what seems to be mutual interest in continuing, I would find it hard to believe that 1) Many teams will offer big dollars to a 35 year-old catcher and that 2) The Phillies can’t outbid them.

They will need to work on a long-term catching solution through drafting or a trade.

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso announced almost immediately upon the elimination of the Mets from the playoffs that he would opting out of his contract and becoming a free agent.

I don’t think the Phillies will be in on Alonso.  I think if they are going to spend $30 million on a designated hitter – and I think they are willing to do so – it will be Schwarber.

I would not totally rule out Ranger Suarez, but he signed on with super agent Scott Boras.  If his intention is to get the best, longest deal, he surely would find one.  The Phillies have the likes of Andrew Painter rising through the system and Zack Wheeler returning, so while it would be great to have Suarez back, they might not need to go crazy to retain him.

Despite having one of the top payrolls, the Phillies cannot re-sign every free agent.

Maybe they’ll sign a right-handed replacement for Nick Castellanos, who seems like a good candidate to move on.  Austin Hays, anyone?