For a moment, let’s imagine the unimaginable.

Kyle Schwarber signs with the Cincinnati Reds. Or the Boston Red Sox. Or, the nightmare of all nightmares, the New York Mets.

Let’s imagine Schwarber, the NL MVP runner-up, signs somewhere other than Philadelphia. Aside from losing the leader of the clubhouse and the glue that has held the team together over the last four years, the Phillies would also be without his 40-50 home runs a season, 100+ RBIs, and middle of the order presence.

It would be a massive loss, and no one wants to imagine Schwarber returning to the City of Brotherly Love for the All Star Game next summer and winning the Home Run Derby in another team’s uniform. It’s a sickening thought.

But what if he does sign elsewhere? Is there a world in which Schwarber leaves the franchise and the Phillies actually benefit from such a radical change? If you want, more than anything else, for Dave Dombrowski to avoid “running it back,” moving on from Schwarber certainly would be a way of doing that. Because, let’s be honest. If the Phillies re-sign both Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, they are, in fact, running it back.

MLB Trade Rumors predicts Schwarber would get a five-year, $130 million contract, $26 million a year. So for a team that acknowledges it needs to shake things up and change up a roster that is heading in the wrong direction with each successive postseason, having $26 million a season to spend in other ways is intriguing.

Sign Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger

The easiest pivot would be for the Phils to back up the Brinks truck for the top free agent outfielder on the market, Kyle Tucker. MLB Trade Rumors predicts Tucker to receive an 11-year, $400 million contract, although there are a number of executives who believe his overall total will be under that. The contract above works out to $36.3 million a season, which would be notably more than Schwarber will likely get.

If Tucker’s price tag is too high, center fielder Cody Bellinger would be a terrific option. His predicted contract of five years and $140 million is right around where a lot of people believe Schwarber’s will be ($28 million AAV). Bellinger isn’t the power hitter Schwarber has been (29 home runs for the Yankees last year), but his plate discipline and overall game has made him a 12-win player over the last three seasons. Schwarber has been worth 9 wins. Bellinger is also three years younger and plays a position of great importance. He will require fewer years of commitment at around $27-29 million a season.

If you take emotion out of it, the Phils would be wiser to spend that money on Bellinger than Schwarber.

If Schwarber remains in the lineup, getting a right-handed bat is the priority this off-season. But if Schwarber is not there, the Phils could pivot and prioritize a big left-handed bat, like Tucker or Bellinger. Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami would make a lot of sense, if they could convince a Japanese star to come to Philadelphia. It feels like we’re getting closer to that day, but it may not be for the 2026 season.

Either way, it opens up the entire free agent field for the Phillies.

What if I told you it would cost you four years and about $100 million to grab Pete Alonso to take over as the team’s cleanup hitter, one of baseball’s most consistent right-handed sluggers to hit right behind Bryce Harper in the batting order? Ideally, you would want to add Alonso to a lineup with Schwarber, but with Harper locked in as the everyday first baseman, Alonso simply would have no place to play in a lineup that included Schwarber, unless Harper agreed to move back to the outfield on a regular basis. And that doesn’t seem likely.

It’s also unlikely the Phils would have the money for both Alonso and Schwarber. However, should Schwarber sign someplace else, the Phillies would be stupid not to try and add the Mets first baseman. He never gets hurt, always hits 30+ home runs and is coming off his most effective offensive season since 2022. Alonso would also allow Harper to get some time at DH, which would hopefully keep him fresher and healthier during the long season.

If Alonso is too expensive, a three-year, $63 million deal ($21 million AAV) for Eugenio Suarez could be interesting. Suarez hits bombs, but like many other Phillies is extremely streaky. But as the DH/3B, one wonders if the Phils could afford him with or without Schwarber. There’s also 2B/3B Jorge Polanco, who absolutely raked in 2025 with an .821 OPS, 134 OPS+, and 26 homers. He’s a switch-hitter with a strikeout rate of only 15.6% last season. He’s projected to get a three-year, $42 million contract ($14 million AAV). That sounds more in the Phils’ price range.

Trade for a Left-Handed Outfielder

I’m looking specifically at one of the Red Sox’ two trade candidates, Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu. Without knowing what either would cost in terms of prospects or younger players already on the 26-man roster, either player would bring team control, youth, and affordability to a lineup in desperate need of all three.

Two seasons ago, Duran was an MVP candidate, and even though 2025 wasn’t as productive, he was still worth 4.7 WAR with a 114 OPS+, 41 doubles and AL-leading 13 triples. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the Red Sox would “hold out for a big return,” so he might be out of the Phils’ prospect price range, but he’s been plus-23 baserunning runs over the last three seasons, third-most in baseball, and would help out a Phillies team that oftentimes struggles running the bases.

Abreu is even younger, just 27, and won a Gold Glove in right field a season. He doesn’t have quite as much offensive upside, but his career .791 OPS and 20-25 homers a year would be a really nice addition to the outfield. One of these guys is getting traded and, at this point, I’d be fine with either left-hander joining a roster with Kyle Schwarber on it, even if it does make them overly left-handed.

Sign Alex Bregman or Bo Bichette

Tucker is probably too pricey on his own. Bellinger is being pursued by every big market team out there and will probably re-sign with the Yankees. The other big free agents out there are Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette. Adding one of these guys would require the Phils to move on from Alec Bohm, which it sounds like they’re trying to do anyway.

Both bring a similar offensive profile: an OPS a little over .800, about 20 homers a season, and Bichette is four years younger and will actually cost a little less. Both players were worth 3.5 WAR a season ago. Bichette is projected by MLBTR to earn $208 million over eight years ($26 million AAV), Bregman to earn $160 million over six years ($26.6 million). The AAV is the same as a proposed Schwarber deal, with Bregman getting one additional year and Bichette an additional three.

None of these ideas would preclude the Phillies from trading for a right-handed hitting outfielder like Byron Buxton or a right-handed infielder like Ketel Marte. Both are unlikely. It also is likely the Phillies could afford to sign Harrison Bader to a free agent contract even if they re-sign Schwarber. So here would be my ideal off-season to fix the offense if Schwarber does not return to the Phillies.

Sign J.T. RealmutoSign Cody Bellinger to play center fieldSign Pete Alonso to play first base/DHPlatoon in right field with Brandon Marsh and a right-handed bat

Here’s how that lineup would look:

SS Trea Turner1B/DH Bryce HarperDH/1B Pete AlonsoCF Cody BellingerRF Brandon Marsh/RH platoon bat3B Alec Bohm2B Bryson StottC J.T. RealmutoLF Justin Crawford

But, if I’m being realistic, here’s what I’d say is more likely.

Sign RealmutoSign BellingerSign Jorge Polanco to DH or 3B if you trade Alec BohmSS Turner1B HarperDH PolancoCF BellingerRF Marsh/RH bat3B Bohm2B StottC RealmutoLF Crawford

Does that make the Phillies better? It sure makes them different!