What's Next Now That the Phillies Have Signed Kyle Schwarber?

The Philadelphia Phillies got their guy. In 2019 it was Bryce Harper, in 2020 it was Zack Wheeler, in 2021 it was J.T. Realmuto, now in 2022 it’s Kyle Schwarber.

Schwarber’s arrival brings a much needed top of the order bat to the Phillies lineup, he’ll also fill left field, or DH when necessary. But the Phillies still have question marks for Opening Day.

Phillies President Dave Dombrowski hasn’t been entirely coy when discussing the Phillies budget for 2022. That budget is the first threshold of luxury tax, $230 million. Under that mark, the Phillies have approximately $13 million left to spend.

Space after Schwarber signing. Some publications have a different way of estimating things like pre-arb and arbitration salaries, which is why the numbers vary. Thanks to FanGraphs Roster Resource and MLB Trade Rumors for all the helpful info. pic.twitter.com/WraqDXj2jO
— Destiny Lugardo (@destiny_lugardo) March 16, 2022

There are a number of options and paths they could take with that $13 million. The most obvious, and probably most likely, is to not spend it at all.

Dombrowski showed last year that he’s willing to forgo spending up to the luxury tax pre-season, that way the Phillies have more room to make adjustments mid-season. If they plan to take this path the Phillies could sign a few more players to minor league deals and roll into the season with a lineup that looks something like:

Schwarber LF
Segura 2B
Harper RF
Hoskins 1B
Realmuto C
Bohm 3B
Stott SS
Gregorius DH
Vierling/Herrera CF

That lineup is acceptable, though perhaps not a playoff favorite. The Phillies will offset that with one of baseball top rotations, but a mediocre bullpen means they must continue to add in the offseason if they wish to be contenders.

Other options could see Dombrowski spending a large chunk of that $13 million on multiple bench players and relievers. The Phillies don’t have enough money remaining to acquire a player like Michael Conforto, but they could chase a player like Tommy Pham.

Pham has experience at all outfield positions, including center field, and could spell Kyle Schwarber on days when he plays DH. He’d be an excellent addition to the Phillies bench, though his salary might be extravagant for a role player.

Another route the Phillies could take would be improvement via trade. It’s well known the Oakland Athletics are currently in a firesale and their centerfielder, Ramón Laureano is a perfect fit for the Phillies.

He’s an outfield defensive specialist and his offense is above league average as well. Since his debut in 2018, Laureano has nine defensive runs saved and a slashline of .263/.335/.465 for an OPS+ of 119.

His price may be steep, after all Laureano has another three years of team control, but if the Phillies are willing to include Andrew Painter in the deal, the A’s might even retain some of Laureano’s salary.

Another player recently included in trade talks is Cleveland Guardian José Ramirez. He’s been a superstar third baseman in Cleveland ever since 2013, but now the 29-year-old Dominican has only two years left with a team just beginning to tank.

If the Guardians want peak value out of Ramirez, they must trade him now. Ramirez’s AAV is only $12 million, so the Phillies could afford his salary and stay beneath the ever-present luxury tax.

However, if Dombrowski and the Phillies are truly committed to this window they could make an even more extreme move. By trading two of their top three prospects in Mick Abel, Bryson Stott and Painter, they could potentially dump salary in a trade for Ramirez or Laureano, thus freeing up even more room to maneuver beneath the luxury tax.

If Dombrowski could offload Didi Gregorius in a deal for Laureano or Ramirez, his $14 million off the books would bring the Phillies payroll down to $203 million. That figure only holds true if the Phillies force the A's/Guardians to retain the salary of Laureano/Ramirez.

To be clear, this move would signal the Phillies are all-in on their current window of contention. A rebuild for this franchise would be long and painful. But it might be the only way for the Phillies to become World Series favorites with their current crop of players.

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