Some of the tough decisions that await the Phillies this offseason appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Dave Dombrowski and Rob Thomson will take the podium in the press room on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park and field questions for the hour about the Phillies’ 2024 collapse, their heartbreaking NLDS performance against the Mets. and how they can do it. come out of the last way they fell into.
Don’t expect too many details related to the future of individual players, that’s not the style of Dombrowski or every modern manager, but nobody should be in the style of harsh words after ‘of this World Series-or-bust season. ambitions crashed and burned.
The Phillies face many questions and decisions this offseason. Among them:
How do they correct the error?
They brought back most of one team from 2023 to 2024 and that is unlikely to happen again, given the record salary and limited window to win with current core Zack Wheeler, Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola, Trea Turner and more.
Harper thinks his situation could take a few more years, and many players in the clubhouse will say they don’t believe the window is closed or closed, but that’s what the athletes are saying. Mr. Nako doesn’t need him to talk about his story, he beats that is. This particular group – which includes Wheeler, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos … all guys not under contracts of ten years or more – could have watched their three best prospects .
The program must be prepared. The left field and the middle field are the problem. Johan Rojas is gifted defensively but could be a contender if the other eight spots are solid. He’s pretty low on the list of who to blame for the NLDS performance but it’s an easy and obvious place to start when considering an offensive upgrade in favor of consistent greatness.
Brandon Marsh’s team situation also needs fixing. Platoons can work — the Mets use one with Jesse Winker and JD Martinez — but you’re asking for trouble when you move teams to multiple locations. There have been times this season the Phillies have done that in three different places. It takes a lot to go right, for several players to live up to their billing. Often, it sounds better in theory than it does in practice.
If the Phillies keep Marsh as a platoon player, his partner should be more productive than Austin Hays. Hays’ weak second half was about a kidney infection and hamstring strain, but the Phillies can’t just hope or assume he’ll be back to his best before 2025. They need help. more abroad no matter what you do.
Where do Bohm and Stott fall?
Alec Bohm started in the All-Star game this season and progressed, although his year ended badly. He hit .280, set a career high with 44 doubles and a .779 OPS, hitting over .300 with runners in scoring position.
He was benched again in Game 2 of the NLDS due to some poor at-bats and not responding well to those poor at-bats. It would have sounded alarming all season to hear Bohm would be benched in Game 2 of the playoffs so it was hard not to read what it meant for his future. The Phillies, as mentioned earlier, are locked in seven starters, so changing the offense will require some creativity.
Bohm was asked after the Phillies’ season ended if he thought he was at a career crossroads.
“No. I know where I’ll be next year,” he said, hinting that it would be Philly.
Stott hit .200 this season in 160 at-bats ending at 93 mph or faster. Last season, he hit .319 with an even bigger sample. He has struggled for most of the season with velocity and the Phillies need to figure out quickly if that is a problem that can be fixed or if it will lower his ceiling significantly.
Is Hoffman coming back?
Jeff Hoffman posted a 1.65 ERA in the final weekend of the regular season, then allowed 10 runs in 2⅓ innings, losing two of three for the Phillies.
He is a free agent and his regular season record from 2023 and 2024 should result in a nice payday. But could the Phillies be the team to pay him $12-13 million per year on a three-year contract after what they saw in the playoffs? It is very difficult to judge healings because sometimes a few trips can be better than many that came before it, depending on the conditions and the time of year.
The Phillies have a lot more they need to do this winter, and considering the amount of money Hoffman’s side would want, it’s a tossup.
Security changes?
Turner has been one of the worst shortstops in baseball since signing with the Phillies, possibly the worst. In 2023, his 23 errors led the way. In 2024, he committed 17 errors in 35 fewer games and had a similar fielding percentage.
Errors are not all the same. Some are regular bobbles. Some are negative gaps. Turner is a good athlete who hasn’t lost that part of his game, but shortstop doesn’t look like his long-term position, and if the Phillies are serious about trying to put together a 2025 roster, it could happen. include moving Turner from shortstop.
It’s a decision they won’t want to make because he’s only two years into an 11-year contract. Turner wasn’t signed for $300 million to be a left fielder, center fielder or second baseman. But he’s short-lived, and a defensive switch could keep him healthy and active for a full six months.
Behind the plate
JT Realmuto was considered the best player in baseball when the Phillies acquired him from Miami and re-signed him to a five-year, $115.5 million contract that expires after 2025.
He is no longer a good baseball player. He still has one of the top skill sets anywhere for a backstop, but the bat isn’t what it used to be.
From 2016-22, Realmuto hit .278 with an .802 OPS.
Over the past two seasons, he hit .258 with a .757 OPS.
He went 0-for-11 in the playoffs to lower his postseason batting average to .216 and on-base percentage to .295.
The Phillies have no choice but to keep him young through 2025. He played 134, 139 and 135 games from 2021-23 and would have approached that number again this season if not for the injury of the meniscus.
A more capable backup in Realmuto is a necessity, someone who can start 50 games if needed without production cratering. Rafael Marchan is 25 years old and has impressed in short seasons, including this summer when he hit .294 in place of Realmuto.
Marchan, who was plagued by frequent injuries in his minor league career, should be ready to step in as Realmuto’s backup. That is, unless the Phillies use him as a trade center for something else and find a backup elsewhere.
There are many more questions the Phillies will face in the four months until pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater and many will be asked next Tuesday of Dombrowski and Thomson. The year-end press conference is coming sooner than they had hoped.
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