Dave Dombrowski has a lot to answer for with uneven track record since World Series

Now that the Philadelphia Phillies season has come to an early and frustrating end, it's time to let the post-mortem begin as we deconstruct where exactly things went wrong for the NL East champions this season. This was a team that could do no wrong from April to June, but then all of a sudden, the team lost its mojo and produced a subpar record of 40-38 in the second half.

The problems that marred the Phillies season can't be pinned on any one individual. Losing is a collective and cumulative process in professional sports, after all. That doesn't mean there isn't a healthy share of blame to go around when looking at how a team that was on a mission to match or exceed its previous season's win totals could hit a midseason speed bump and barely recover.

According to a report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies front office will meet and evaluate the futures of manager Rob Thomson and members of his coaching staff this week. That's fair game after witnessing a talented team with high payroll commitments suddenly sputter out. While Thomson is probably safe after signing an extension last offseason, it's a safe bet that a few members of the team's on-field personnel will not be returning in 2025.

Dave Dombrowski has a lot to answer for with uneven track record since World Series

While Topper deserves a heavy share of the blame for the end result, he also doesn't do the grocery shopping when it comes to roster construction. That duty falls squarely at the hands of Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld. With the potential for significant roster turnover a serious consideration this offseason, let's take a look at Dombrowski's history of trades and free agent signings since appearing in the World Series in 2022.

We'll skip Trea Turner, as that contract still has close to a decade left to grade, and Rhys Hoskins, who had no path to playing time with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber entrenched at first base and designated hitter for the foreseeable future.

Signing Taijuan Walker was a $72 million mistake

Dombrowski's expensive 2022 shopping spree didn't end when the team landed coveted free agent Turner. When the Phillies opted not to re-sign free agent starting pitcher Zach Eflin, there was an opening that needed to be filled in the starting rotation for the upcoming season. $72 million and four contract years later, the team put pen to paper and welcomed Taijuan Walker.

Despite solid numbers in his first season (15-6, 4.38 ERA), the veteran right-handed pitcher fell out of Thomson's favor by the postseason and was not used at any point in the playoffs last year. This season was an absolute disaster, with Walker recording the worst season by a Phillies pitcher in the last 30 years with a record of 3-7 and an unsightly 7.10 ERA in 19 appearances.

Meanwhile, Eflin posted strong numbers over his two seasons split between the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles, with a 27-17 record and a 3.54 ERA.

Trading Matt Vierling for Gregory Soto looks one-sided

When the Phillies dealt former prospect Matt Vierling in a five-player swap for All-Star closer Gregory Soto and super utilityman Kody Clemens, the trade looked like a one-sided steal for the Phillies who were in need of reinforcements at the back end of the bullpen. That's not how things worked out, and history has not been kind when revisiting this trade.

Soto never quite fit in during his season and a half in a Phillies uniform. Longing for more save opportunities, the inconsistent hard-throwing lefty talked his way out of town at this year's trade deadline when he was shipped to Baltimore for a package of pitching prospects.

Clemens has become a solid contributor when given the chance over the last two seasons, but Vieling has blossomed as a hitter in Detroit, with a .259 batting average, 26 home runs and 101 RBI in two seasons.

Whit Merrifield was a free agent bust

When Phillies spring training began in February, they did so for the first time without a flashy free agent signing in camp. That changed when Dombrowski signed super-utility man Whit Merrifield to a one-year, $8 million deal with a team option for 2025. With a solid track record over eight previous MLB seasons, Merrifield looked like a solid pick-up for a Phillies team sporting a weak bench.

Signed to be a right-handed bat that would see playing time split between the infield and left field as part of a platoon, Merrifield's 53-game run with the Phillies was nothing short of a disaster. In 156 at-bats, the former three-time All-Star hit .199 with 31 hits, three home runs, and 11 RBI before being released by the team in July.

Trade deadline acquisitions have offered mixed results

Dombrowski has carried a reputation as an executive willing to take an aggressive approach to roster construction, and his teams seldom lack in transactions or headlines around the trade deadline each summer. The last two deadlines offered more of the same. If we're being honest, most of those trades have delivered mixed results.

Starting with the biggest trade the Phillies made at the 2023 deadline, the deal to acquire right-handed starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen did deliver one of the most exciting moments of the season when the freshly acquired Lorenzen spun a no-hitter in his second start as a member of the team. But that was about it for highlights as Lorenzen turned in a 4-2 record and a 5.51 ERA in seven starts (11 appearances) during his two months in a Phillies uniform.

Those numbers are fine, but Lorenzen did little to contribute in the 2023 postseason, logging two appearances (2 2/3 innings) and not allowing a run in limited opportunities in the playoffs. As for fellow 2023 trade deadline acquisition Rodolfo Castro, the controversial utility infielder made it into 14 games in 2023, batting .100 with three hits and two RBI in 30 at-bats while striking out 12 times before the Phillies buried him in Triple-A for the entirety of the 2024 season.

This season's trade deadline acquisitions failed to meet expectations as well, with outfielder Austin Hays spending much of that time on the IL with a myriad of health issues. In total, Hays produced a .256 batting average and 20 hits in 80 at-bats.

Closer Carlos Estévez and lefty specialist Tanner Banks were both acquired in separate deals this summer, with Estévez commanding a steep cost for a two-month rental at the expense of top pitching prospects George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri. Estévez contributed a record of 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA and six saves in 20 appearances. He's now a free agent with plenty of destinations to consider over the winter months.

Banks was acquired in exchange for shortstop prospect William Bergolla and was decent in 22 appearances, recording a line of 0-1 and a 3.70 ERA. Banks is under team control until 2029, so there's still some time to grade this trade objectively.

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