The Phillies have made three notable moves this offseason. A one-year deal for Max Kepler, a one-year deal for Jordan Romano, and a trade that sent Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd to Miami for left-handed starter Jesus Luzardo.

This offseason has featured a lot of “where is Dave Dombrowski?” on the timeline. The Kepler and Romano deals aren’t “flashy” ones. They’re risks on two guys who have had a lot of success in previous seasons, but injuries plagued their 2024 campaigns. The Luzardo trade is fantastic. Sure, I wanted Juan Soto like you did. I want Teoscar Hernandez playing left field at Citizens Bank Park next year. I want Tanner Scott in our bullpen. But the Phillies are in an interesting situation with their payroll at this moment.

So I ask you this… would you consider this offseason a “success?”

I think it’s fair to call it a toss up, but I lean success rather than failure.

It’s not a perfect offseason, and maybe you wouldn’t even consider it “great.” I still really hope the Phillies get one more bat, preferably a right-handed hitter. This lineup at the moment doesn’t stack up well against a team like the Dodgers; I think that’s obvious to everyone. Another bullpen arm would also be ideal. While I still think there are places to improve, I think we’ve gone a little too far this offseason in criticizing the roster.


I’ve really come around on the Kepler deal. You don’t need 30 home runs out of your 6-7 hole, which is probably where he will hit next season. But you need a threat, and Kepler is that when he’s on the field. He’s not the perfect baseball player; he’s not some All-MLB outfielder that’s going to be in the MVP race. But do you want to watch a Marsh/Rojas LF/CF experience for 162 games? Or would you rather take a chance on a guy who is a year removed from a 24-homer season with an .816 OPS? I know my answer:

  • Kyle Schwarber
  • Trea Turner
  • Bryce Harper
  • Nick Castellanos
  • Alec Bohm
  • JT Realmuto
  • Max Kepler
  • Bryson Stott
  • Brandon Marsh / Johan Rojas

You can put those 9 guys in whatever order you want. That’s not really the point. There were a ton of reports that the Phillies wanted to “shake up” this lineup. I don’t think a shakeup would hurt them at all, but you don’t just change things to change things. Bohm, who has been the most rumored bat to leave this offseason, has been treated like he’s the worst player in the entire sport by many people. I’m not saying I haven’t said shop Bohm, because I absolutely have. But you don’t just dump a 100-RBI guy just to get rid of him, especially when he’s under team control for the next two seasons.

The Phillies, the front office, and fans are all going to have to look themselves in the mirror sooner rather than later and realize that the talent is good enough, but it’s up to the guys in the clubhouse to get the job done. They all talk about how bad they want the trophy. All of them want Red October. This lineup is capable of doing big things, but they have to do it at the right time. That lineup was good enough to get the job done last year, they just flat out crumbled when it mattered. Their approach was horrendous. It’s like they saw a ghost all throughout the NLDS. You need more timely contributions from veterans if you want that World Series trophy back in Philly.

Should the Phillies go after one more bat? Absolutely. I still think there’s a chance to continue to improve this lineup. But watching Twitter warriors sit back and say this lineup sucks and the World Series window is closed is insanely exhausting:

  • Zack Wheeler
  • Aaron Nola
  • Cristopher Sanchez
  • Jesus Luzardo
  • Ranger Suarez
  • Andrew Painter (soon)

That is just nasty. Combine stuff, durability, past playoff performances, and potential, and this is the best rotation in baseball. I’ve heard a lot of Dodgers this, Dodgers that over the last 48 hours. Once the LA pitching staff stays on the field for a full season, they can have the “best rotation in baseball” crown. Does a World Series mean more than having the best rotation in baseball? Absolutely, no doubt. But if you put these rotations up against each other, I’ll take the Phillies all seven days of the week.

The Phillies have never had more versatility in their starting rotation throughout the Bryce Harper era than they do now. You have two workhorse righties at the top with Wheeler and Nola. You have an emerging star in Cristopher Sanchez. Luzardo is just 27 years old and is one of the best lefties in baseball when he’s healthy. We all know what Ranger Suarez is capable of, and the switch that flips when he gets into October. I haven’t even mentioned Andrew Painter yet!

Now to this:

  • Matt Strahm
  • Jordan Romano
  • Jose Alvarado
  • Orion Kerkering
  • Jose Ruiz
  • Tanner Banks

This is where I think things get a little dicey. You always have that guy from the minors come up at some point in the season and become a surprise. Matt Strahm is still a fantastic reliever. I’m very excited for the Romano addition. Orion Kerkering is only getting better. Jose Alvarado is great at times, but we know the rollercoaster that comes with his outings, and his 2024 wasn’t good enough.

I still really need one more reliever. If the Carlos Estevez “sweepstakes” continue for another month or so, the Phillies should try and land him back on a one-year deal. I think signing Jeff Hoffman is getting less and less likely as the days go on, especially after the addition of Kepler to the payroll. Could Dombrowski still make some magic happen and find a way to get Hoffman back? Absolutely, but it seems like Hoffman is going to get some serious money this offseason, and I don’t expect the Phillies to be in the driver’s seat of that bidding war.

If Suarez stays for the entire 2025 season, one of your starting pitchers will be coming out of the bullpen. The Phillies have made it known in the past that they don’t love the 6-man rotation. Could Suarez be inserted into the bullpen once Painter is up? Could throwing Andrew Painter in the bullpen just for 2025 be a way to limit his innings, like they already said they’re planning on doing? Both are on the table for me.

Do the Phillies stack up with the Dodgers right now as a whole? No, just like the other 28 teams in baseball don’t either. But looking at this offseason as a whole, I wouldn’t call this a failure. I’d still love one more reliever and one more bat, I think everyone would. If you have one of the highest payrolls in baseball, it eventually comes down to the players in-house getting the job done. Am I 100% confident that they’ll do that? No. But you’ve acquired three players that could make a serious impact on your baseball team in 2025, and there could (and should) be another move or two coming. Being able to say that before the new year isn’t the case for many teams across the sport.