Phillies Likely To Cut Ties With At Least One All-Star, Per Dave Dombrowski

The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the deepest rosters in Major League Baseball, and that will be difficult to maintain for the long haul.

It’s been a priority for president of baseball operations to lock up the Phillies’ burgeoning core over the last few seasons, namely the starting pitching trio of Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, and Cristopher Sánchez. Now, there’s a different kind of trio to worry about.

Three players who made at least one recent All-Star Game as a Phillie — designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, catcher J.T. Realmuto, and starting pitcher Ranger Suárez — will all hit the open market this winter looking to sign lucrative deals.

Dombrowski values what each of the three players has done for his club, but admitted to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman on Thursday that the odds were long for the Phillies to afford new contracts for all of them.

“We’d love to keep all three, (but) it’s probably not going to be easy,” Dombrowski said.

In terms of present value, Schwarber sticks out as a priority. He could be the second-most coveted free agent on the market this winter after Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker, thanks to his 50-homer, 123-RBI season through 147 games.

Realmuto might be the toughest player for the Phillies to replace, however, as there isn’t a clear heir to the catching job waiting on the Phillies’ active roster or minor-league depth chart.

And having seen Wheeler go down with a complicated blood clot issue, and having witnessed the regression of Nola in year two of his seven-year contract, it could be awfully hard to let Suárez go after a five-WAR season.

With the league’s fourth-highest tax payroll already at over $309 million (via Spotrac), the Phillies will have tough choices to make when it comes to determining which of their stars deserve lucrative reunion deals.

More MLB: Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber Hints At Preferred Destination in Free Agency