Why the Phillies and Dave Dombrowski have so many questions and no clear answers this winter
The Dodgers, who held a 3-0 lead over the Brewers heading into Game 4 of the NLCS on Friday night, are on the verge of capturing a second straight pennant. Whether the Mariners or Blue Jays are waiting, Los Angeles will be the favorite to repeat as World Series champions — something no team has done since the 2000 Yankees.
The Dodgers remain the quintessential franchise. Someone who not only gets talent, but gets results. A club that not only creates hype, but lives up to it.
Meanwhile, the Phillies are still trying to figure out why they haven’t offered much at all.
Despite having the third-highest payroll and a star-studded roster, the Phillies once again found themselves in a familiar place: trying to piece together what went wrong in October and how to move forward. The Phillies won the NL pennant in 2022. They went 2-0 against the Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLCS. They have lost 10 of their 13 playoff games since then.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski didn’t offer many answers Thursday during his season-ending news conference. How can you when baseball is still being played and the team that dismantled you in four games in the NLDS is about to repeat baseball history for the first time in 25 years?
Or when your stars are underperforming or unavailable due to injury?
“There’s got to be more change,” Dombrowski told reporters on Thursday. “We’ve won 96 games, and again, you’re always looking to get better. So we’ll do that. We’ll be open to that. I think it’s a little different. Then there are some internal situations for us that have to be addressed. So where you go as a club is largely determined by some of those moves that eventually happen.”
Some of these implied positions are based on upcoming forecasts that have an immediate impact. Names like pitcher Andrew Painter and outfielder Justin Crawford have some impact on the big league roster.
It requires the club to move from Nick Castellanos, According to a report by The Athletic newspaper.. The outfielder turned rudely toward head coach Rob Thompson once his play on the field diminished, leading to less time on the diamond late this season. Castellanos posted a minus-1 WAR mark (per Baseball Reference), and compiled a .250/.294/.400 slash line with 17 homers in 2025. His defense, never elite, has been abysmal this year. He will be 34 years old at the start of next season.
The Phillies signed Castellanos to a five-year contract before the 2022 season. At the same time, they gave Kyle Schwarber to a four-year, $80 million contract. To keep him, they will have to agree to a more expensive deal after Schwarber’s 56 Kings in 2025.
“Oh, we would love to bring Kyle Schwaber back,” Dombrowski added. “It’s a priority for us. He knows that. But I also know he’s a free agent, and that’s what ultimately happens when guys go into free agency. You never know what happens. But it’s a real priority for us to try to get him back. And he knows that, and his rep knows that.”
Catcher JT Realmuto is a free agent they want to keep on the roster as well.
Also, it’s important for the Phillies to get their highest-paid player, Bryce Harper, back to form. Harper missed time due to injury and finished with a .261/.357/.487 slash line, .844 OPS, and 27 homers. It’s a really good season — but that’s by the standards of anyone other than Harpers, a generational player associated with Cooperstown.
Unexpectedly, his boss wondered if he could reach this level again. Perhaps Dombrowski, an old-school shooter, did so on purpose, hoping to get more out of Harper next year, his age-33 season.
“In Bryce’s case, of course, he’s still a high-quality player,” Dombrowski said. “He’s still an All-Star caliber player. He didn’t have the elite season that he had in the past. And I think we just know if he’s become elite or if he’s still good. I look around the league. Think about Freddie Freeman. He’s still a good player. Is he as elite as he was before? Maybe not as much. So it’s not a negative thing. Freddie is a great player. And that to me, Bryce, can he step up to Next level level? again? “I don’t really know that answer.”
Christopher Sanchez looks like a future Cy Young Award winner. If it weren’t for Paul Skines, Sanchez might have been the prize this season. Jesus Luzardo took a big step during the postseason and rebounded from what looked like a nose dive heading into the All-Star break. Goalkeeper Suarez is a free player. Zack Wheeler’s future is a question mark after he needed thoracic outlet surgery. Aaron Nola needs to get back to his usual numbers for this team to succeed.
There is a group of “I don’t know” surrounding the Phillies as the Dodgers continue to thrive.
“The Dodgers, they didn’t make a lot of mistakes [against us in the postseason]Dombrowski noted.
The Phillies didn’t make many mistakes either. This is part of the problem. There is no clear answer as to how this team can survive until the end of October.