Countdown to Opening Day Begins

2025 Chachi Almost #2

2025 Chachi Almost #3

2025 Chachi Almost #4

2025 Chachi Almost #5

With the Dodgers sealing an 11th inning, Game 7 victory over the Blue Jays early this morning, the baseball offseason is officially underway.  Nine former Phillies are now free agents, and if I had my way, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Ranger Suarez, in that order, would all return to the fold for the 2026 season.  Before we shutter The Phillies Room for some offseason maintenance of our own, breaking only occasionally for some offseason news, here's a look at a few 2025 Chachi cards that didn't make it out of the draft folder, and a summary of the first 2025-26 offseason transactions.

2025 Chachi Almost #6

2025 Chachi Almost #7

2025 Chachi Almost #8

Chachi Almost:  I felt the seven players shown here had a chance to suit up with the Phillies in 2025, so Chachi cards were created for them in March.  None of the seven, along with the previously seen Tyler Phillips card, got the call to Citizens Bank Park during the year.  

Oscar Mercado (of) and Rodolfo Castro (inf) had brief stints with the Phillies in prior years.  Kyle Tyler (rhp) was released in July, signing with the White Sox organization less than a week later.  Koyo Aoyagi (rhp) went back to Japan following his release in June, pitching briefly with the Yakult Swallows.  Nabil Crismatt (rhp) was released in August and appeared in eight games for the Diamondbacks, going 3-0 with a 3.71 ERA in 34 innings pitched.  Christian Arroyo (inf) spent the entire season with the IronPigs, as did Devin Sweet (rhp).

October 10 - Sweet, Walton Depart:  In the first moves of the offseason, Sweet and Donovan Walton (inf) became minor league free agents.  Walton appeared in a pair of games with the Phillies in September, making two starts at second base and going 1 for 9.

November 2 - Free Agency Opens:  Nine players officially became free agents at the conclusion of the World Series - Walker Buehler (rhp), Max Kepler (of), Tim Mayza (lhp), Realmuto (c), David Robertson (rhp), Jordan Romano (rhp), Schwarber (dh), Suarez (lhp), and Lou Trivino (rhp).

2024-25 Offseason Begins - Early November Notes (Part 2)

2024 Topps Heritage #242

2024 Topps #571

2024 Choice Rocket City Trash Pandas #13

Once I started summarizing the player moves over the first week of the offseason, I realized I needed to break everything into two posts given the flurry of activity on Monday, November 4th.  (Part 1 of these Early November Notes can be found here.)

Devin Sweet (rhp) was acquired from the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations and added to the 40-man roster.  Sweet has pitched in seven big-league games, all in 2023, with the Mariners and Athletics.

John McMillon (rhp) was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins.  He's appeared in 14 games with the Royals and Marlins over the past two seasons, and was the winning pitcher in the Marlins game against the Phillies on September 7th.

Alan Rangel (rhp) who appeared in 10 games for the IronPigs in 2024, and who had pitched in seven seasons in the Braves' minor league system, was added to the 40-man roster.

Clearing space on the 40-man roster, the Phillies outrighted Yunior Marte (rhp), Luis F. Ortiz (rhp), Freddy Tarnok (rhp), Kolby Allard (lhp) and Rodolfo Castro (inf), with all clearing waivers and becoming free agents.  Marte relieved in 63 games for the Phillies over the past two seasons, and was 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA in 65 1/3 innings pitched.  Ortiz appeared in 15 games for the Phillies, with just one game this past season, and had a 4.12 ERA in 19 2/3 innings pitched.  He spent the bulk of 2024 on the injured list.

Tarnok never pitched for the Phillies.  Allard was a somewhat reliable emergency fifth starter for the club, going 2-0 with a 5.00 ERA, finding his most success in two starts in August.  Added to the NLDS roster, he didn't appear in any of the four games.  Like Ortiz, Castro was injured for a lot of 2024, and never got the call back to the majors.  In 14 games with the Phillies in 2023, he batted .100 (3 for 30).  Marte, Ortiz and Castro have their only Phillies cardboard appearances in the somewhat rare 2024 team-issued photo cards, shown below.