Phillies Stay or Go: Max Kepler

Max Kepler signed with the Phillies last offseason as their, really, their only significant addition to the offense. And looking at it now, the accumulation was pretty stale.

Kepler signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Phils, starting out as the everyday left fielder, and then ended the season platooning in right with Nick Castellanos.

He did find a little spark towards the end when he went into the platoon role, but still had an unamusing 2025 campaign, hitting .216 with a .691 OPS and 18 homers, along with a flat, 0.0 WAR.

“Max Kepler, I think, did a solid job for us, right? He’s not going to most likely be back,” Dave Dombrowski said at the end of season presser, “because he’s a free agent and we have Justin Crawford.”

That is the kicker right there. The 32-year-old was average at best for the Phillies this season. Crawford, 21, seems to be ready to go in Major League Baseball. And it sounds like the organization, which needs to get younger and cheaper, is ready for him, too.

Kepler just does not fit any of the criteria the Phillies are trying to hit this offseason: he is 32, he is left-handed, he does not get on base at a high percentage, and he is not a good defender.

The Phillies have in-house replacements. It is Crawford’s time.

FINAL VERDICT: GO

That was a quick one.

Benjamin Goldstein

Benjamin has been covering Philly Sports for Philly Sports Reports since 2017. He is a podcaster, writer, and founder of Philly Sports Reports. Benjamin is also an intern at the WBCB Sports Network on 1490AM. Through Philly Sports Reports, Benjamin has gotten the opportunity to meet Phillies owner John Middleton in his suite and be honored as the Philadelphia sports fan of the week for KYW News Radio. He hopes to be reporting on Philly sports as a full-time job in the future.

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