Philadelphia Phillies Aim To Bolster Roster After Early Exits

The Major League Baseball offseason is officially here and the Phillies are looking to improve a team that has been knocked out of each of the past three postseasons.

The team made a surprising run the World Series in 2022, but was knocked out in the National League Championship Series in 2023 and in the Division series in 2024, so what's next?

How does President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski get this team over the hump?

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"It's tough to win," Dombrowski stated while appearing on the MLB Network. The first half of the season we played fantastically, second half, up-and-down. We played a little bit better going into the last 10 days of the season.  A lot of good players, we were healthy. It comes down to, we just didn't play well at the right time."

He spoke about how the bats went silent at the wrong time, and the team's bullpen, which performed well during the 162-game slate, imploded during the postseason.

Dombrowski mentioned the Dodgers, who won this year's World Series over the New York Yankees, and how they were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs last season.

"Hopefully we can do the same thing," Dombrowski said.

One thing the Dodgers did after losing last year, was they got aggressive in the offseason.  The Dodgers added the biggest fish of the 2023 offseason, Shohei Ohtani, giving him a 10-year, $700 million contract.  The team also added pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who was signed for five years, $136.5 million, and added Yoshinobu Yamamoto with a 12-year, $325 million contract.

Could the Phillies follow that blueprint and add a player like Juan Soto and maybe a pitcher like Garrett Crochet, who would need to be traded for with the Chicago White Sox.

Is that a sign of what's to come this offseason? According to USA Today MLB writer Bob Nightengale, the Phillies will be listening.

If someone needs a slugger like Nick Castellanos, or outfield help in Brandon Marsh, or third baseman Alec Bohm, the Phillies are listening.

So what about adding a big-ticket item like free agent Juan Soto?  While his name has been linked to the Phillies, so far it doesn't seem the team is looking in that direction.

Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations, has not internally discussed pursuing Soto with his staff but is painfully aware they need to shake up their lineup.

However, it's not crazy to think the team will be involved in adding some new, high-priced talent to the roster.

But don’t believe for a second the Phillies won’t keep spending, even if it means going beyond the third luxury-tax threshold of $281 million.

As Phillies owner John Middleton told reporters, “For the right player, I have a high degree of confidence that Dave and I would go over the third limit.”

One name that Dombrowski mentioned was right-handed pitcher Andrew Painter, who should slide into the Phillies starting rotation.  However, other than the No. 5 spot in the rotation, pitching wasn't the teams' issue.

Another possibility is if they can't change the roster, maybe they change the lineup construction, something Phillies manager Rob Thomson suggested during his end-of-year press conference.

Dombrowski mentioned how Turner his in the leadoff spot when he arrived in Philadelphia, but he struggled, forcing a move of Schwarber back to the top spot in June of 2023.

So is that an option again in 2025?

"I think going into this year, I'm not sure what we are going to do, but I'd have to say it is something you'd consider. Any type of option that you feel could enhance your run scoring."

Should be an interesting offseason for the Phillies.