With Kyle Schwarber’s future in the air, the Philadelphia Phillies have to be willing to get creative this offseason. Many experts predict Schwarber will land with the Phillies on a long-term contract. What happens if the Phillies don’t find themselves in agreement with their MVP candidate?
A potential replacement option for Schwarber is Cody Bellinger. Bellinger is coming off his best season in years with the New York Yankees. A 5.1 bWar season consisted of a .813 OPS and 29 HRs for the Yankee outfielder. He helped anchor a lineup with Aaron Judge, mostly batting third or fourth for New York.
One of his best attributes at the plate is his plate discipline. Bellinger had one of the lowest strikeout percentages among qualified hitters (13.7%). For reference, Brandon Marsh had a strikeout percentage of 25.9%, and Nick Castellanos had a 22.6% mark for his season.
Bellinger is a versatile defender as well. He played all three outfield positions last season and even spent some time at first base. When he debuted with the Dodgers, Bellinger was primarily a first baseman who moved to the outfield to showcase his athleticism.
At this stage, he is more of a corner outfielder than someone who is going to play 150 games in center field. For the Phillies, their outfield situation is one they must improve on in 2026. They have options in Marsh, Castellanos, and Justin Crawford. None of those options would be as strong offensively as Bellinger.
In his career, the former MVP has played 20 games at Citizens Bank Park. In those games, he has hit .280 with five home runs and driven in 16 RBIs.
If the Phillies are unable to retain Schwarber (or even if they do), adding Bellinger to their lineup would add another level of depth. Despite being left-handed heavy, the Phillies' lineup lacked a real threat after Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Schwarber. They rotated many players in the 4-9 slots in the batting order but never truly settled on one option.
Without Schwarber, Bellinger could hit second behind Turner and in front of Harper. Modeling what Rob Thomson did this past season. With the All-Star Game MVP and Bellinger, the team would likely slot him fifth, a spot mostly held by Marsh and Castellanos as the season progressed.
In a situation where the Phillies are able to recruit Bellinger and Schwarber does not return, a reunion with Harrison Bader could make a lot of sense as well. Playing Bader in center field with Bellinger in left or right would not only give the Phillies a tremendous defensive outfield but also give them real power at the plate.
Bellinger is likely going to cost somewhere in the same ballpark as Schwarber. FanGraphs projects Bellinger to receive a five-year, $135 million contract. The same publication has Schwarber listed at four years and $112 million. While Schwarber has been a better player than Bellinger over the past few seasons, Bellinger does add defensive value that Schwarber cannot. Additionally, the Yankees’ outfielder is 3 years younger than Schwarber, which projects better moving forward.
It is clear that the Phillies value bringing back Schwarber. However, if they either want to strike again in free agency or need to pivot from their feared slugger, they might have a great option in Cody Bellinger.
