The countdown is on as Philadelphia Phillies pitchers and catchers are due to report to Clearwater on Wednesday, bringing the offseason to a close.
On Sunday, the equipment truck traveled 1,058 miles through eight states, as they prepare to start another spring training that has plenty of questions that need to be answered.
What’s Inside the Truck? By the Numbers5,000 cups; 2,400 baseballs; 2,000 short- and long-sleeved shirts; 1,200 bats; 900 pairs of socks; 600 pairs of pants; 600 batting practice hats; 350 pairs of shorts; 300 batting gloves; 250 batting practice tops; 200 fleeces; 200 light jackets; 200 pairs of assorted spike, plastic and turf shoes; 140 batting helmets; 125 leather and elastic belts; 40 heavy jackets; 20 coolers; several bikes; one Phanatic hot dog launcher.
But beyond the 2,400 baseballs, the most important cargo arriving in Florida is a roster under heavy scrutiny. This winter, all eyes have been on the lack of changes to the lineup, with the question being asked by many who follow the Phillies: Is the 2026 lineup better than what left the field at Dodger Stadium of the National League Wild Card loss last October?
It’s a fair question for a team that enters the season with the same high expectations since the team’s run to the 2022 World Series.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski wasn’t shy about articulating that the team is fine running it back with many of the same faces. They accomplished their No. 1 goal, bringing back Kyle Schwarber. They were, however, outbid by the New York Mets for the services of Bo Bichette, which resulted in the return of catcher J.T. Realmuto.
If their focus was set solely on improving the opening day roster, they wouldn’t have stopped after the addition of Adolis Garcia, who is set to replace Nick Castellanos in right field.
The Youth Movement: Crawford and Painter
One of the things they wanted to accomplish this offseason was to add an infusion of talent with some of their younger players. The intention heading into spring training has been to possibly have two roster spots taken over by top organizational talents, outfielder Justin Crawford and pitcher Andrew Painter.
In Crawford, the Phillies are adding a player who slashed .334/.411/.452 with 46 steals in Triple-A last season. Crawford is expected to take over center field, a position that had some of the worst production in the majors last season until they brought Harrison Bader over in a trade.
The Left-Handed Bat Dilemma
Adding Crawford gives the Phillies another left-handed bat, but this is something they are willing to run with as Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, and Brandon Marsh all hit from the left side. Crawford has excelled against lefties, especially last season at Triple-A, where he hit .376 with a .411 on-base percentage in 2025 against southpaws.
Like last season, expect to see the Phillies use Otto Kemp in a platoon in left field with Marsh and Edmundo Sosa at second base against left-handers.
Andrew Painter’s Path to Redemption
As for the pitching, the intention is to have Painter be a part of the rotation after a disappointing season at two levels in 2025, going 5-8, posting a 5.26 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and notching 123 strikeouts in 118 innings pitched.
He is expected to join a rotation that will include returning arms, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Taijuan Walker, with Zack Wheeler likely to return in late May. Painter could step in to replace Ranger Suárez, who signed with the Boston Red Sox during the offseason.
The team thinks adding right-hander Brad Keller to the back end of the bullpen, and the return of José Alvarado will give them a better bullpen than they had during the playoffs last season. Keller had a terrific season with the Cubs, with a 2.07 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 75 strikeouts across 69.2 innings.
So, do new faces like Crawford, Painter, Keller, and Garcia make the team better? We shall see.
The first workout for Phillies pitchers and catchers is on Wednesday, February 11.
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