Another season has come and gone with the Phillies falling short of their ultimate goal. The lineup was anemic and the bullpen was not one that Don Mattingly could trust late in postseason games.
Philadelphia's bullpen was filled with a lot of players they just were not comfortable using. The Phillies seemingly attempted to use Jhoan Duran for a nine-out save in Game 1, emblematic of another failure by Dave Dombrowski in building a competent bullpen for October.
The story with the recent failures in October continues to be Philadelphia's lack of ability to hit when October rolls around. Their lineup posted a 71 wRC+ in the postseason in 2024. In 2025, they got all the way up to ... a 78 wRC+. The lineup just struggled to muster up meaningful runs in a bullpen game for the Braves. In the Game 1 opener, they put up just three runs. Game 2 was carried by three long balls from Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Alec Bohm.
Despite many resources invested in the bullpen and a lot of money committed to the lineup, they have never been able to do enough. A lineup that has names like Harper, Schwarber, and Trea Turner can simply never deliver enough. A bullpen that is always a talking point at the deadline and offseason wasn't talented enough.
The Phillies' previous quiet offseasons didn't cut it
Dave Dombrowski has made a habit over the past few seasons of rocking with the "run it back" term. Despite multiple failures from the offense in October, he has never shown the willingness to make the big splash to fix it.
In 2024, the Phillies added no one to a lineup from the 2023 team that went ice cold at the tail end of the Diamondbacks series to end their bid for a title.
Prior to the 2025 offseason, Dombrowski added Max Kepler and thought that addition would suffice. Kepler hit .216 with a .691 OPS in his one year with the club. To the surprise of nobody, Max Kepler was unable to elevate a reeling lineup
This season, Dave Dombrowski added Adolis Garcia and re-signed JT Realmuto, a 35-year-old catcher, to a three-year deal worth $45 million. Garcia's OPS was .599, while Realmuto's dropped all the way to .614. Those two awful moves contributed to the Phillies' offense posting a 92 wRC+, slightly ahead of the Reds and Rockies as the worst offenses in baseball.
It's safe to say the 2027 iteration of the Phillies needs to look entirely different if they want any chance of getting back to playing deep into October.
How the Phillies can fix the lineup
The Phillies' outfield has been a problem for multiple years. This season, their postseason outfielders were: Derek Hill, Brandon Marsh, Bryan De La Cruz, Justin Crawford, and Bryce Harper. Add in the fact that Marsh posted a 31 wRC+ since the All-Star break, and the Phillies' outfield situation was very bleak.
In need of a right-handed hitting outfielder, the Phillies are certainly going to have to shell out some cash this offseason. With Nick Castellanos and Taijuan Walker still on the payroll in 2026, the Phillies were near a deal with Bo Bichette. Their ambitions with Bichette last offseason indicate it's very likely they'd be willing to dish out money for an impact bat.
The top target for Philadelphia is quite clear. Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki is the perfect fit for the Phillies' lineup. Suzuki would solve multiple problems Philadelphia currently has as an elite outfield defender, right-handed hitter, and someone with great postseason numbers.
Suzuki slashed .270/.368/.473 in 2026 while posting a 134 wRC+. Defensively, Suzuki logged 14 DRS and five OAA when roaming the Cubs' outfield. Additionally, in just 10 career postseason games, Suzuki hits .237 with an .828 OPS. The Phillies would love to add a player of Suzuki's caliber to the heart of their lineup.
If the Phillies added a legitimate right-handed threat behind Bryce Harper, it would be a massive step in finally protecting their franchise players. The Phillies will no longer be paying Walker and Castellanos, as well as letting Garcia, Bohm, and Arraez walk. Philadelphia can afford to make multiple splashes and the front office needs to do so to shake up the team.
The outfield won't be fixed by just signing Suzuki. The Phillies could also use another elite bat like Randy Arozarena. This season in Seattle, Arozarena slashed .281/.381/.484 and tallied a 5.5 fWAR and 151 wRC+.
Trea Turner had one of his worst career seasons offensively, and the Phillies lack quality right-handed hitting. If Philadelphia is able to bring in Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena, they would be able to solve their most glaring problems.
Philadelphia's prospective lineup:
SS Trea Turner, 1B Bryce Harper, RF Seiya Suzuki, DH Kyle Schwarber, LF Randy Arozarena, 2B Bryson Stott, 3B Aidan Miller/Bryan Rincon, C JT Realmuto, CF Crawford/Hill
Addressing the Phillies bullpen
The Phillies' bullpen has deserves a large portion of the blame for the shortcomings of the club. They have had players like Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm, who had dominant seasons, implode once the calendar flips to October. This postseason, the only relievers Mattingly was able to put trust in were Alex McFarlane and Jhoan Duran.
The first order of business is adding a left-handed arm that Philadelphia can slot into the back end of their bullpen. Twins reliever AJ Minter would be the perfect man for the job. The 33-year-old boasted a 2.56 ERA across 45.2 innings with the Mets and Twins this past season. Minter has postseason experience and would instantly be the Phillies' best left-handed reliever.
With Brad Keller likely sidelined for the entirety of the 2027 season, the Phillies likely need another setup man. Padres star reliever Jason Adam would be the perfect bridge to Jhoan Duran in the ninth inning. The 2025 All-Star has battled injury this year, but still recorded a 2.62 ERA.
Another move the Phillies should make is sending away Brandon Marsh to an outfield needy club. In return, Philadelphia should be looking for MLB-level relief pitching in return. Marsh's horrendous second half may have cost him some value, but the Phillies' acquisitions of Suzuki and Arozarena here would make him expendable. The Phillies could certainly find a trade partner for their 2026 All-Star starter outfielder.
The Phillies cannot afford another season of the same core with the same supporting cast. They need a drastic shake up and jolt to the lineup. Suzuki and Arozarena would make Philadelphia's lineup much deeper and much more of a threat. Adding Minter and Adam to the back of their bullpen, along with a trade piece in return for Marsh, would make their bullpen a strongpoint in 2027.
Add us as a preferred source on Google