DETROIT, MICHIGAN – JUNE 25: The Philadelphia Phillies logo is pictured on a hat during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on June 25, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
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The Philadelphia Phillies got a major update toward what could be their biggest moves of the offseason on Tuesday.
The team heard from newly minted free agents Kyle Schwarber and Ranger Suarez that they have rejected the one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offers that the team extended and chose instead to test the open market. With that matter settled, the team can negotiate longer-term returns for them or prepare to move on to new players.
“Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in October that he would like to bring back not only Schwarber and Suarez, but also fellow free agents J.T. Realmuto and Harrison Bader,” Paul Casella reported for MLB.com. “Among that group, though, Schwarber and Realmuto are believed to be the club’s top priorities.”
As the Phillies work through which of those departing players might come back, they will also be evaluating some other areas of the roster, namely the infield and the outfield.
In the outfield, the team seems set to part ways with slugger Nick Castellanos in the final year of his contract, after he publicly bristled over some lost playing time this past season. And regarding the infield, the team could be reevaluating the position of Alec Bohm, who took a step back at the plate after making the All-Star game in 2024, or Bryson Stott, who saw his WAR decline this past season.
In a relatively quiet move on Tuesday, the Phillies addressed their infield depth by signing Liover Peguero to a minor league deal. Peguero spent the last four seasons with the team’s in-state rival Pittsburgh Pirates, and could factor into the Phillies’ big-league plans at some point given his experience.
“Peguero, 24, was once considered a top 100 prospect and saw big league action with the Pirates in parts of five seasons, posting a .646 OPS in 96 games at SS, 2B and 1B,” Just Baseball’s Aram Leighton wrote in breaking the news.
Peguero’s best career season so far came in 2023, when he slashed .237/.280/.374 while appearing in 59 games for the Pirates.
Peguero’s versatility could open things up for the Phillies if he earns a chance to contribute to the big-league roster. If the team found an enticing opportunity to move on for Bohm, for instance, Edmuno Sosa could slot into the third base role with Peguero becoming an infield utility option off the bench.
The Phillies still have some bigger questions to answer about their roster for next season. But after a quiet move to sign their National League rival’s infielder, the team could have a high-upside option to promote in the next season or beyond.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterchawaga/2025/11/19/phillies-add-nl-rivals-24-year-old-infielder-in-quiet-move/
