The Philadelphia Phillies did well to overcome a painfully slow start and make the playoffs this year, but at the end of the day, the 2026 campaign will still go down as a disappointment. The Phillies officially failed to win a playoff series once again this year, as they were eliminated by the Atlanta Braves after suffering a 6-2 loss in Game 3 of their wild-card clash.
While a lockout could be in store for MLB, Philadelphia will once again head back to the drawing board and attempt to find a way to properly rebuild its roster. What is clear is that what Dave Dombrowski and the front office have been doing in recent years is not working, which led to one insider urging the team to consider trading Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper this offseason.
The Phillies endured a miserable start to the 2026 campaign, which resulted in manager Rob Thomson getting fired and replaced by Don Mattingly. Eventually, Mattingly was able to get the most out of the talent at Philadelphia’s disposal, but once again, the results did not materialize in the playoffs.
Now, this team finds itself stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, it’s clear that there is a ton of talent at its disposal, but if this group of players can’t win in the playoffs, which has clearly proven to be an issue, changes need to be made, and you can bet that the next few months will be quite busy for Philly.
The extent of those changes, though, is still up in the air. The Phillies could look to retool around their star core again, or they could begin taking that group apart. Schwarber and Harper are obviously key cogs for this team, but if you ask Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, he thinks that trading them needs to be an option that Dombrowski and company consider making.
Trading Bryce Harper or Kyle Schwarber? Don’t love the idea, but everything needs to be under consideration. Everything,” Rosenthal wrote in the wake of the Phillies’ season-ending defeat.
Should the Phillies Trade Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper?
Both Schwarber (.232 BA, 45 HR, 97 RBI, .857 OPS) and Harper (.269 BA, 29 HR, 87 RBI, .865 OPS) were bright spots for the Phillies in a year where their lineup struggled to consistently generate scoring runs. Moving on them would seemingly make things more difficult for the Phillies, but again, this team as currently constructed isn’t winning, so something has to change.
Trading either one of these guys probably isn’t Philadelphia’s top priority, but it is an option that has to be considered given how things have unfolded as of late for this team. It would likely take a large haul in order to convince the front office to deal Schwarber or Harper, but at the very least, you can bet it will be listening to what teams have to offer for its top two bats.
Phillies Urged to Consider Drastic Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper Moves by Insider