The Philadelphia Phillies stalled in the postseason once again, leaving fans reeling for answers on how they could avoid another future disaster. They re-signed Kyle Schwarber, arguably the biggest slugger on the market, but have done very little in terms of big moves since then. It's been underwhelming, something that Phillies fans have been dreading after another year of heartbreak.
It hasn't been an offseason in which the Phillies have put their foot on the gas and spent big to prove they still want to be among the best teams in baseball. They haven't done enough, and it shows, compared to other MLB teams this offseason.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently compiled a list of the most improved clubs (subscription required), and the Phillies were absent with only weeks until pitchers and catchers report for spring training.
Phillies' underwhelming offseason so far comes into focus with spring training right around the corner
Being a most-improved club can be somewhat misleading, depending on the club, but what isn't misleading is the ownership trying to sculpt a new and better reality for their respective roster. Every team wants to get better, but putting their money where their mouth is really makes the difference.
Here's how Bowden ranked the seven most-improved clubs so far this offseason:
- Baltimore Orioles
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Atlanta Braves
- Boston Red Sox
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Kansas City Royals
The Phillies are sadly nowhere to be found, but to no one's real surprise. They made a statement by locking up Schwarber to a massive deal but have let other top contenders leap frog them as far as impactful moves. Granted, it's difficult, or nearly impossible, to be the most improved team every year, but the Phillies could certainly afford to try harder or even top the list this winter.
Four of the seven teams have a top-10 payroll going into the 2026 season, per Spotrac. The Dodgers and Blue Jays played one of the best World Series matchups in history this past October and made this list with ease after their incredible 2025 seasons.
The success didn't stop either finalist. The Dodgers are sitting on a league-high payroll of roughly $342 million while the Blue Jays are not far behind with the fourth-highest at roughly $295 million. The Phillies are just over $301 million and currently the third-highest.
The Dodgers went out and got the best closer on the market in Edwin Díaz, and the Blue Jays have brought in right-handers Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, and Tyler Rogers along with Japanese utility player Kazuma Okamoto. They have the hunger of coming close to winning a championship, similar to the Phillies, but with needle-moving signings to back it up. The Braves even went out and signed a few marquee free agents to attempt to close the gap in the division.
The Phillies don't need a big splash every offseason, but the lack of moves at all can be a concern for a team looking to win its first World Series since 2008. The roster requires change to awaken something, anything. The Phillies have been linked to remaining free agents with time still left, but waiting around until markets collapse is also how you get left out on making a groundbreaking move for the franchise.