Astros' and Phillies' Free-Agency Payroll and Outlook After 2022 World Series

The 2022 World Series is complete. The Houston Astros won it in six games over the Philadelphia Phillies to claim their second championship in the last six seasons. The Phillies put up a fight, though, after a surprising emergence from an 87-win season.

Houston closed things out on Saturday with a 4-1 victory. Shortstop Jeremy Peña, who hit a home run in Game 5 and 10 hits overall, was named series MVP.

With the World Series over, the Astros will take a little time to celebrate. Houston's championship parade is scheduled for Monday, November 7 at noon ET. Houston mayor Sylvester Turner will hold a press conference to announce further parade details on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

While celebrations are in order, the Astros will quickly turn their attention to the looming offseason—along with the Phillies and the rest of the baseball world. Free agency will now officially kick off on November 10.

What lies ahead for the last two teams that were standing in the MLB postseason? Let's dive into each team's projected payroll, free agency outlook and the latest buzz.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies aren't holding a championship parade, but they may take a moment to reflect on their incredible season. They'll be back to work quickly, though, According to Spotrac, Philadelphia is already slated to have the second-highest payroll in baseball at $173.2 million—and that's only including players currently under contract.

The 2023 luxury tax threshold is set at $233 million.

Philadelphia has a number of notable impending free agents, including:

A full list of Phillies free agents can be found at Spotrac.

For the Phillies, the offseason priority will be retaining a pitching staff that includes Aaron Nola and Noah Syndergaard. Pitching helped take Philly to the World Series, and a large contingent of the rotation is slated to hit the open market.

Philadelphia will look to build on the success it had in 2022, and that means keeping key players in place.

"This is the standard now. It’s always been the standard, but now that we’ve tasted it, and know what it’s like to be on the wrong side of it, we’ll be shooting for it next year," outfielder Brandon Marsh said after Saturday's loss, per Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Philadelphia's toughest decision may be whether or not to exercise Jean Segura's $17 million club option. That option includes a $1 million buyout and would leave Philly with a sizeable hole at second base.

Expect Segura's situation to be at the forefront heading into the official start of free agency.

While the Phillies may not be overly active chasing external free agents, shortstop Xander Bogaerts could be a name to watch. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reported in September that the Phillies would be "eager suitors" if Bogaerts opts out of his contract with the Boston Red Sox.

Houston Astros

The reigning champions are projected to have a 2023 payroll of $154.8 million. That's well over the league average ($100.1 million) but notably below the tax threshold.

Astros impending free agents include:

Standout pitcher Justin Verlander is an aging star, but the Astros are interested in keeping the 39-year-old, perhaps for the remainder of his career.

"My first phone tomorrow will be to him, see what he wants to do, franchise owner Jim Crane said, per Dawn Campbell of KPRC 2 Houston. .”He was pretty reasonable when we signed up. We had a 130-inning threshold, and he exceeded it, so he earned the option and hopefully he wants to stay here. I think he likes it here.”

Presumably, Houston will look to retain other key players, like Will Smith and Michael Brantley. As the Astros have shown over the last six seasons, their success is sustainable and they can build internally.

Peña, for example, stepped in as a replacement for vaunted shortstop Carlos Correa, and he has become a star in his own right. Expect the Astros to focus on keeping their team intact rather than reloading.

Houston may look to replace 39-year-old Yuli Gurriel at first base (he suffered a knee injury in the postseason) and add some depth in the outfield. However, the Astros are unlikely to go star-chasing on the open market.

The Astros are your 2022 MLB champions, and they're certainly not looking to blow things up.