3 players Dave Dombrowski should try to trade for
By Matt Rappa
Dave Dombrowski could soon acquire these stars to improve the Phillies roster.
The Philadelphia Phillies seemingly went from an extreme low to a sense of optimism and hope in just a matter of days. All it took was the hire of two-time World Series champion executive Dave Dombrowski to be their first-ever president of baseball operations.
“What Dave Dombrowski brings to their team is credibility and stability straight away,” Ron Darling said Friday evening on MLB Network. “I’ve looked at him as a guy who has never backed down. He’s not a guy who is here to rebuild.”
Darling continued that the Phillies may very well be Dombrowski’s last stop in Major League Baseball. “This is probably the last job that he might have,” he said. “And in that last job, I think he wants his third World Series [ring], or at least be a perennial winner that goes to the postseason.”
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Among Dombrowski’s previous positions include: Montreal Expos general manager (1989-91), Florida Marlins general manager (1991-2001), Detroit Tigers president and general manager (2001-15), and Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations (2015-19). Across the years, he won titles in 1997 (Marlins) and 2018 (Red Sox), as well as earned two additional pennants while in Detroit.
The overwhelming discussion regarding the hire is that Dombrowski is looking at a fast, but responsible approach to “retool” the Phillies roster, rather than undergoing a complete rebuild. Dombrowski needed just a few seasons in Boston to turn the team into a World Series champion.
One way to assemble a championship-contending roster is to acquire star players through trade. Click through to see three in which Dombrowski might target this offseason to address infield, starting pitching, and bullpen areas of need on the Phillies.