Phillies predicted to sign $10M 2-time Cy Young winner, 2-time World Series Champion, 8X All-Star

The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off a heartbreaking end to the 2025 season in Los Angeles. What could have easily been an out instead turned into a throw into the backstop by reliever Orion Kerkering. The moment was one of the toughest of his career, and he admits the feeling may never fully fade.

“Everyone knows that it’s there. The more you think about it, the more it’s going to drain you away,” Kerkering told The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. “It’s going to affect me for the rest of my life.”

Philadelphia made it a priority this offseason to re-sign key free agents Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto. The Phillies’ only real miss was Bo Bichette, who at one point appeared to be a near lock to land in Philadelphia. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acknowledged how much it stung to lose out on him.

“I did think we were going to get a deal done...We were close....It was a gut punch. ...But until you have a signed memo of understanding, you don't have a deal,” Dombrowski said.

The Phillies could help make up for that miss by signing veteran Max Scherzer, a move that would immediately strengthen the pitching staff.

“Scherzer has signaled that he only wants to pitch for a true contender, and that he's willing to wait until after Spring Training to make his choice. Which makes sense: At age 41, he doesn't have a ton of bullets left in the tank, and he'd rather save them for October than April. The Phillies figure to be in the mix atop the NL once again this year. Starting pitching depth could be a concern, though, with Zack Wheeler returning from injury, Andrew Painter still an unknown quantity at the big-league level and Taijuan Walker,” FanSided’s Chris Landers wrote.

With Zack Wheeler set to miss time to begin the season, adding a reliable arm like Scherzer would be massive. Philadelphia is aiming to win the NL East for a third straight year.

Landing Scherzer would give the Phillies a formidable rotation and provide a valuable veteran presence in the clubhouse. It’s the type of move that could help separate Philadelphia from the rest of the NL East.

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