The Phillies will get rid of these four players who made the Opening Day roster

The Philadelphia Phillies enter the 2026 campaign with World Series aspirations, but the offseason yielded only marginal improvements to the roster. Adolis García is better than Nick Castellanos. Brad Keller is better than Matt Strahm. But are the Phillies really, truly in a more competitive spot than they were five months ago, when the Dodgers put their offense on ice in the NLDS? Time will tell.

We know Dave Dombrowski tried to aim higher. The Phillies almost inked All-Star infielder Bo Bichette to a seven-year deal, but the Mets swooped in at the last second. Philadelphia was also loosely connected to Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai, although there was never much fire behind that smoke in the end. Now, attention turns toward the regular season — and what moves Philly might need to make in the months ahead. These Phillies could end up on the chopping block if Dombrowski shuffles the deck:

Dylan Moore, UTL

As soon as Johan Rojas was suspended for PEDs, Dylan Moore felt like a shoo-in to claim the Phillies' final roster spot. Last season was an abject disaster for the veteran utilityman, who hit .201 with a .642 OPS in 219 at-bats between Seattle and Texas. But Moore was much better in years prior, able to offset swing-and-miss issues with a useful mix of hard contact and speed on the base paths — not to mention his defensive versatility.

The Phillies can move Moore all over the field as needed, which is a useful trait off the bench. This is more of a trial period than anything else, though. Moore is the lowest priority bat on Philadelphia's roster right now. Once Rojas is back, or once the Phillies take an interest in calling up top prospect Aidan Miller, Moore becomes the easiest to part ways with.

Frankly, there are better than even odds of Moore simply underperforming and getting cut, without the muss and fuss of trade talks. That said, if he can relocate his swing and give the Phillies a few solid starts in a pinch, plenty of contenders could use a do-it-all defender like Moore. The Phillies can't expect much, but a trade isn't out of the question.

Tim Mayza, LHP

Tim Mayza, the 34-year-old southpaw, was limited to 15 appearances out of the bullpen last season (seven in Pittsburgh, eight in Philly) due to a shoulder injury. He didn't exactly light up spring training, but he's an experienced arm with high-leverage pedigree. His 2023 campaign in Toronto — 1.52 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 53 strikeouts in 53.1 innings — is what Philadelphia clings to for optimism.

The back end of this Phillies bullpen all feels transient. Neither Mayza nor righty Zach Pop have been a) regularly available or b) good the past couple years. But Mayza is at least a decent candidate to buck trends and string together enough quality work early in the campaign to muster scant trade interest, even if the return value is negligible.

Both Orion Kerkering and Max Lazar should come off the IL soon enough, so change is already imminent in the Phillies bullpen. Pop probably gets cut, not traded, if the Phillies opt to part ways. The rest of their low-leverage arms have more long-term equity than Mayza, with fellow newcomers Kyle Backhus (28) and Jonathan Bowlan (29) both under club control through the early 2030s.

Taijuan Walker, RHP

The Phillies came to almost instantly regret signing Taijuan Walker to a four-year, $72 million contract. He's in year four of that contract now, however, which could mean a solid beginning to the campaign opens the door to substantive trade talks. The Phillies might need to eat a chunk of his $18 million expiring salary, but Walker put up a 4.08 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across 123.2 innings last season. Nothing special, but he got the job done when the Phils were shorthanded.

Pitching depth is always at a premium in MLB. Walker is far removed from his All-Star heyday, and there's nothing flashy to what he can accomplish on the mound. His fastball sits in the low-90s and his splitter, once a signature weapon, has become a vulnerable pitch when Walker can't command it. Still, he can still go out there every fifth game and eat five innings. A disastrous 2024 campaign left a bad taste for Phillies fans, but Walker's mental toughness to bounce back and produce in 2025 — even at a mediocre, bare-minimum level — was impressive to an extent.

Walker will begin 2026 in Philadelphia's rotation, but he's primed to lose his spot sooner than later with Zack Wheeler on the rehab fast-track. The Phillies' lack of proven depth could lead them to keep him around as a swingman in the bullpen, a role he occupied for much of last season. But if any team comes knocking, something tells me Dombrowski will gladly listen.

Alec Bohm, 3B

Alec Bohm was excellent in spring training, with a .310 average and .929 OPS across 42 at-bats. Most encouragingly, he hammered three home runs. Bohm has never struggled in the bat-to-ball department, but an inability to elevate and drive pitches into the outfield gaps (much less over the fence) has made him a weak point in the heart of Philadelphia's order.

This is a contract year for Bohm and he was an All-Star just a couple years ago. His name has been in trade rumors for a while, but Dombrowski never pulled the trigger — probably because he's not interested in tanking their competitive odds just to shave a few bucks off the payroll. Bohm is too productive for a salary dump, but not explosive enough to command a significant haul on the trade front. That means the Phillies are just kind of stuck with him.

All signs point to Bohm finishing out the year in Philly and testing the open market in free agency. Top prospect Aidan Miller is a call-up candidate this season, but he's almost a guaranteed Opening Day starter in 2027, when he'd presumably take Bohm's place at third. It's the most natural path of succession. That said, if Bohm struggles, or if Miller can put this back injury behind him and produce enough with Triple-A Lehigh Valley to force Philadelphia's hand, Bohm's expiring contract makes him vulnerable to a midseason deal. Especially if the Phillies decide to go big-game hunting at the deadline.

Their rumored interest in Bo Bichette this past winter was almost definitely contingent on a Bohm trade. It's not like the Phillies haven't considered an upgrade or a shake-up at the hot corner before. It will require the right confluence of favorable circumstances, but if the midway point of the season arrives and Philadelphia feels the need to bolster its lineup, Bohm is the logical first casualty.