The Philadelphia Phillies’ season ended with a predictable disappointment last week and fans are now settling in for a long winter. Eight other teams are still vying for a World Series victory, but in Phillies world, it’s all about 2027 and beyond. Thankfully for morose fans, there are a few interesting tidbits that came out recently.
A Dave Dombrowski extension is imminent with Phillies
A large portion of the fanbase won’t be thrilled about this one, but it seems embattled head honcho Dave Dombrowski is going to stick around for a while longer. The Athletic’s Matt Gelb wrote that, “Dombrowski, 70, is under contract through 2027. He is expected to receive an extension from managing partner John Middleton in the coming weeks,” all but removing any speculation that the president of baseball operations would be taken to task for the club’s lackluster roster construction.
Alas, it seems the future Hall of Fame executive is going to ride into the sunset in Philadelphia, spending at least a few more seasons at the helm before handing over the reins (likely to general manager Preston Mattingly). One bright side of the Dombrowski news is that it signals a continued commitment to winning for the club, seeing as the aging shotcaller is not the type to tackle a drawn-out rebuild. Perhaps this winter he’ll be able to reel in the right free agents and reload for another shot at the crown in 2027.
Trea Turner takes accountability for brutal season
The Phillies didn’t hit. That’s essentially what the 2026 season boiled down to. A starting rotation that rivaled the best in the history of the game was consistently let down by an offense that failed to score for them on a nightly basis. The Phillies’ .707 OPS as a team placed them in the bottom third of the league, while their .240 collective batting average was also bottom-10.
“Me. It’s that simple.”
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) October 2, 2026
Trea Turner was asked why the offensive production was down this year for the Phillies
“I think this year is the biggest question mark for me offensively in a long time. I’ve got a lot of work to do. “ pic.twitter.com/QU8RmIDfAW
Perhaps the biggest culprit in the Phils’ precipitous decline at the plate was shortstop Trea Turner, whose .675 OPS was easily a career-worst in his age-33 campaign. The two-time batting champion took it on the chin when asked why his team struggled, claiming, “Me. It’s that simple.” He went on to say, “I think this year is the biggest question mark for me offensively in a long time. I’ve got a lot of work to do.” Hopefully that work will pay off next season.
Former Phillies reliever Seth Johnson undergoes knee surgery
It’s easy to forget that Seth Johnson appeared in 16 contests for the Phillies this season. The former first-round pick came over from the Baltimore Orioles in the 2024 Gregory Soto trade and became an interesting, if flawed, pitching prospect. He received cups of coffee over the next two seasons, but finally got an extended look this year and it was not pretty. Over 16 ⅓ innings with the Phils, Johnson was blasted for a 5.51 ERA.
The Phillies finally had enough and flipped Johnson to the lowly Athletics for depth outfielder Colby Thomas at the trade deadline, but things didn’t get any better in Sacramento. Johnson made his way into 12 games with the A’s and put up a grim 6.23 ERA. Perhaps some of the 28-year-old’s struggles can be attributed to injury, as MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos reported that Johnson underwent left knee surgery on Monday. Better luck next year.
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