Whether you love him or hate him, one of the most notable front office names of this decade is Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Some current big league names that will be synonymous with his era of Phillies history include, most notably, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Zack Wheeler. But even the J.T. Realmuto and Aaron Nola extensions were moves he made to ensure this core sticks together as it fights for the championship they've been hunting since 2022.
However, after MLB Pipeline's midseason farm system rankings update, one aspect of Dombrowski's "ready now" World Series-hungry team has become a glaring issue, especially when comparing the Phillies to its main competitors: the longevity of the team's roster depth.
The Phillies rank No. 21, falling from a preseason ranking of No. 17. At this time last year the system ranked No. 16. As for their primary National League competitors, the hated New York Mets rose to No. 7 (up from No. 12). The NL Central juggernaut Milwaukee Brewers rank No. 4 (up from No. 7) and the always dangerous Los Angeles Dodgers top the list at No. 1 (up from No. 4).
Phillies have foregone the farm system to win a championship now
Years of drafting high school players with top picks have led to hit or miss with the development of prospects. Even with the Phillies' swath of college-level picks this year in the 2025 MLB Draft, including College World Series no-hit artist Gage Wood, with just three players making MLB Pipeline's updated Top 100 prospect list, it's clear that the prospect holes within this well-oiled vessel that is Dombrowski's Phillies could be what will sink this team in the long term if not addressed soon.
The most apparent reason for the Phillies' decline in the farm system rankings is not shockingly because of Dombrowski's belief that this club is "championship ready," investing in the big league club, at the hand of the farm system. Having made it to the postseason the past three years, the Phillies have ultimately been attempting to finish the job since 2022.
Since that offseason, the holes in the major league roster that have always been the team's Achilles heel have been addressed by trading for MLB-caliber talent. Dombrowski has never been one to shy away from a semi-outlandish trade that allows the team to address those needs from the big league level while parting with some more substantial prospects whose playing time could be stunted by the players playing for the major league roster. However, that opens the door for the problem everyone's been avoiding: what to do when these big names you've acquired walk away during free agency.
Before the trade deadline, the Phillies had six players in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 rankings. They traded away two of those prospects, catcher Eduardo Tait (who was the Phillies' No. 4 prospect) and pitcher Mick Abel (who was their No. 6 prospect), to acquire Jhoan Duran. It was a trade worth making but definitely took a bite out of the farm. At least they have Duran for another two seasons, so they won't lose out like last year when they were unable to retain Carlos Estévez's services after his two-month rental ended.
Even with the farm being sold for major league talent to address the team's pressing needs, some of the Phillies' Top 100 prospects are continuing to shine. They still have Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford at the top of the farm. There is also a fair amount of the younger prospects who are beginning to develop effectively and efficiently for the long-term needs of the organization.
One major piece of evidence, which most likely led to the dismissal of the team's player development staff going into the 2025 season, is the fact that once Phillies' prospects hit a certain threshold of talent, the team seems to fail these higher-caliber prospects with not enough opportunity to grow past a certain degree of being "MLB ready," most notably pitchers like Abel, who made his MLB debut earlier this year, and Michael Mercado, who has struggled since passing the threshold from prospect to big leaguer.