The Phillies were expected by many to have their foot on the throttle this offseason, but they were mostly in neutral as they elected to think more on a big-picture level instead of spending hundreds of millions more on short-term upgrades.
Whether or not this way of thinking will get them the World Series title they've been aggressively chasing since Bryce Harper signed in Philly nearly seven years ago, it's a zig while a lot of other teams zag.
There hasn't been much Phillies news in recent weeks, but that doesn't mean we're not thinking about them with pitchers and catchers reporting to Clearwater in just five weeks. Five recent thoughts:
They did lose ground
It would be impossible to argue that the Phillies' relatively idle offseason didn't hurt them, in contrast to their competition:
Mets: Added Juan Soto, Clay Holmes, Frankie Montas, re-signed Sean Manaea
Braves: Will get Spencer Strider, Ronald Acuña Jr. back, added Bryan De La Cruz
Dodgers: Added Blake Snell, Michael Conforto, re-signed Teoscar Hernández, Blake Treinen
Diamondbacks: Added Corbin Burnes, Josh Naylor
The Phillies did do a little to help themselves as well — adding four players we'll talk more about in just a bit in Jesús Luzardo (trade with Marlins), Jordan Romano (one-year deal), Max Kepler (one-year deal) and reliever Joe Ross (one-year deal). But the story is more about what they didn't do. And with a bunch of free agents still out there, including Japanese star Roki Sasaki and star infielder Alex Bregman, it's possible their competition continues to improve after the Phillies made it clear they're standing pat.
It's a vote of confidence in the players they have but it also puts a lot of pressure on an aging roster to stay healthy and match a regular season that set several records last season.
They do have a plan, a good one
The Phillies aren't just floating around rudderless, watching free agents sign elsewhere while they sit on their hands. They do have a plan for this offseason and for offseasons of the future. And it's one Phillies fans should be happy about.
It's not splashy and it might not result in them being a 105-win juggernaut World Series favorite this season, but it is a plan that could keep their window of competitiveness open for seasons to come, and help enhance the expensive core they have.
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There seem to be two prongs to it. First, they want to give their top talent in the minors an opportunity. Which is why they are going to make sure there is room for Andrew Painter, their top arm, to pitch his way into the majors this summer. And it's also why they were extremely hesitant to trade either of their top young position players — Aidan Miller (shortstop/third base) or Justin Crawford (center field) — in rumored trades back in December.
The second prong is that they will have a lot of financial flexibility next year, when Ranger Suárez, J.T. Realmuto and others come off the books, giving them more than $80 million to theoretically spend amid what is a deeper free agent class in 2025-26. The next year Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm (and others) will be free agents. There is a good chance, the team hopes, it can surround Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola with a constantly evolving supporting cast.
Are they too left-handed?
The Phillies are currently expected to enter the regular season with five left-handed everyday hitters: Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott, Harper, Brandon Marsh and Kepler. David Murphy at the Inquirer did the research, writing that only one team, the 2001 Diamondbacks, has made the World Series with five lefties at 400-plus plate appearances since 1995. It's likely the Phillies will have five hitters reach that milestone in 2025.
Will this create a lot more late-game substitution situations for manager Rob Thomson? With the three-batter rule in place for relievers, it could help the Phils create some mismatches late in games. It also could make them susceptible to left-handed starters across the league, and could make for a lot more pivotal Johan Rojas at bats than Phillies fans might want.
It's also worth a mention that Luzardo is a lefty, and will make for three left-handed starters in the Opening Day rotation.
Really solid rotation plans
A ton of credit is due to the front office for prioritizing the starting pitching rotation after the team finished the 2024 regular season without a fifth starter — still somehow winning 95 games in the process. They'll enter the year with the same top four they had last year in Wheeler, Nola, Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez. But they have a plan in place after that.
The No. 5 will be Luzardo, who has ace upside and playoff experience. Behind him the Phillies expect to have Painter pitching in the majors sometime in the summer, as he will sit out the spring, ramp up in June or July, and be able to pitch down the stretch of the season.
“We’re going to push the innings back,” Dave Dombrowski told the media in December. “I don’t think it’s going to change. Andrew understands the plan. We think it’s a good plan. He’ll build up at some point through the minors. … We’re going to save a lot of his innings until we get to July-ish for the big-league level.”
Behind that will be Joe Ross, who was signed as sort of a swing arm in the mold of Matt Strahm's recent seasons in Philly. And behind that will be Taijuan Walker, who could find himself as a longman/mop up guy in the bullpen.
There is depth and a deliberate plan to overcome potential injuries in the rotation and it's one that shows the team intends to once again have a winning regular season.
A low stakes trade with upside
Sometimes little depth moves end up making a difference, and the Phillies quietly made one of these during the week when they sent Tyler Gilbert — who struggled in a brief MLB appearance — to the White Sox in exchange for recent draft pick Aaron Combs, a relief pitcher who has some talent but not much pro experience.
Combs recently pitched very well in college for Tennessee, where he had a killer curveball. He has a ton of upside and could wind up becoming some much-needed depth in the bullpen. And even if he doesn't, the price was right.
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