The Philadelphia Phillies were eliminated from the 2025 postseason field brutally, on a walk-off error in extra innings. It wasn't solely on Orion Kerkering, however, as the Phillies' offense went quiet for the duration of the series.
In the wake of such a poor offensive showing, the Phillies need to make some major changes to the offense. While Bryce Harper and Trea Turner, along with a few others, are coming back, their entire outfield could be up for change.
Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden of The Athletic believes that the entire outfield needs changing. But, he is also urging the Phillies to go out and sign Kyle Tucker on a massive deal to replace Nick Castellanos in right field, and begin an outfield revamping following a disappointing end to 2025.
Phillies urged to sign free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker
"I would revamp the entire Phillies outfield," Bowden writes. "... The move I want to see them make is to sign 28-year-old right fielder Kyle Tucker."
Adding a player like Tucker won't come cheap, but for Bowden, the chance to bring in such a talented player like Tucker is worth such a huge allotment of money.
"That said," Bowden writes, "he's a complete player who can beat you with his glove, arm, bat, power, speed, and base running. He'd give the Phillies the star power in their outfield they've lacked in recent seasons."
Philadelphia has had a few interesting outfielders over the last couple of seasons. Brandon Marsh has been a fine but inconsistent player. Castellanos is regressing offensively and defensively, turning into one of the worst fielders in baseball and a net-negative at the plate.
Harrison Bader was a fun pickup, but there's no telling if his 2025 season was a flash in the pan or not. Max Kepler was a bad rental for the first half of the year, but turned things around near the end. But, he's not a viable long-term option.
More: Phillies' J.T. Realmuto shuts down any free agency talk after loss vs. Dodgers
The Phillies have plenty of room to make additions in the outfield, and Tucker, who's likely going to be the highest-paid free agent this offseason, would be an expensive but worthwhile pickup for the Phillies.
Tucker is coming off his fourth-straight All-Star season. He played in 136 games for the Cubs after missing some time in the middle of the year. Across his 500 at-bats, he had 133 hits, 91 runs scored, 25 doubles, four triples, 22 home runs, 73 RBIs, 25 stolen bases, 87 walks, and only 88 strikeouts.
He hit .266 on the year, a step down from his previous two seasons, but still a good number for someone who can hit for power and draw walks like Tucker. He had an .841 OPS in 2025, which would've been the highest mark of any Phillies outfielder.
Adding a superstar like Tucker would be an exciting move for the Phillies to make, and would help fans get over the sting of being eliminated from the playoffs in the NLDS in each of the last two seasons.
After multiple disappointing playoff exits, Dave Dombrowski and John Middleton might finally make some wholesale changes to the roster, and adding Tucker would be a good way to make such a change. Bowden wants the Phillies to make such a move, and it'd be a very interesting move if the Phillies could pull it off.
More Phillies News:
- Matt Strahm blasts MLB analyst after Phillies' NLDS loss
- Phillies' Bryce Harper shows he understands Philadelphia, unlike Nick Castellanos
- Orion Kerkering error, explained: How Phillies' crushing extra-innings gaffe delivered NLDS Game 4 to Dodgers
- Kyle Schwarber gets emotional as free agency looms after Phillies’ NLDS heartbreak
- Phillies manager Rob Thomson delivers clear message to Orion Kerkering after unforgettable collapse
- Orion Kerkering holds back tears in reaction to Phillies’ season-ending error