The Dodgers, up 3–0 on the Brewers heading into Game 4 of the NLCS on Friday night, are on the verge of their second straight pennant. Whether it’s the Mariners or Blue Jays waiting for them, L.A. will be favored to repeat as World Series champions — something no team has done since the 2000 Yankees.
The Dodgers remain the model franchise. The one that not only acquires talent but gets results. The club that doesn’t just create hype but delivers on it.
The Phillies, meanwhile, are still trying to figure out why they haven’t delivered much at all.
Despite having the third-highest payroll and a roster full of stars, the Phillies once again found themselves in a familiar spot: trying to piece together what went wrong this October and how to move forward. The Phillies won the NL pennant in 2022. They were up 2-0 against the Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLCS. They’ve lost 10 of their 13 playoff games since.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski didn’t provide many answers on Thursday during an end-of-season press conference. How could you when baseball is still being played and the team that dismantled you in four games in the NLDS is on the verge of repeating baseball history for the first time in 25 years?
Or, when your stars have either underperformed or weren’t available because of injury?
“There needs to be more change,” Dombrowski told reporters Thursday “We won 96 games, and again, you’re always looking to get better. So we will. We will be open-minded to that. I think it’s a little bit different. And then there are some built-in situations for us that are going to have to be addressed. So where you go as a club is very much dictated on some of those moves that end up happening.”
Some of those built-in situations are based on prospects coming up and having an immediate impact. Names such as pitcher Andrew Painter and outfielder Justin Crawford making some sort of impact on the big-league roster.
It requires the club to move on from Nick Castellanos, according to a report by The Athletic. The outfielder turned surly toward manager Rob Thomson once his on-field play diminished leading to less time on the diamond late this season. Castellanos posted a minus-1 WAR (per Baseball Reference), compiling a .250/.294/.400 slash line with 17 homers in 2025. His defense, which was never elite, was abysmal this year. He’ll be 34 at the start of next season.
The Phillies signed Castellanos to a five-year deal ahead of the 2022 season. At the same time, they gave Kyle Schwarber a four-year contract worth $80 million. To keep him, they’ll need to agree to more-expensive pact after Schwarber’s 56 homers in 2025.
“Oh, we’d love to bring Kyle Schwaber back,” added Dombrowski. “It’s a priority for us. He knows it. But I also know he’s a free agent, so that what ends up happening when guys have entered free agency. You never know what happens. But it’s a real priority for us to try to bring him back. And he knows it, and his representation knows it.”
Catcher J.T. Realmuto is a free agent they want to keep on the roster, too.
Also, it’s important for the Phillies to get their highest-paid player, Bryce Harper, back to his usual self. Harper missed time with an injury and finished with a .261/.357/.487 slash line, an .844 OPS, and 27 homers. A really good season — but that’s by anyone’s standards other than Harper’s, a generational player bound for Cooperstown.
Unexpectedly, his boss questioned whether he could reach that level again. Dombrowski, an old-school straight shooter, perhaps did it intentionally, hoping to get more out of Harper next year, who will be entering his age-33 season.
“In Bryce’s case, of course, he’s still a quality player,” Dombrowski said. “He’s still an All-Star caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or if he continues to be good. I look around the league. Think Freddie Freeman. He still is a good player. Is he elite like he was before? Probably not to the same extent. And so that’s nothing negative. Freddie’s a tremendous player. And that’s to me, Bryce, can he rise to the next level? Again? I don’t really know that answer.”
Cristopher Sanchez looks every bit like a future Cy Young Award winner. Had it not been for Paul Skenes, it might have been Sánchez’s award this season. Jesus Luzardo took a huge step during the postseason and rebounded from what looked like a nose dive heading into the All-Star break. Ranger Suarez is a free agent. Zack Wheeler’s future is a question mark after he required thoracic outlet surgery. Aaron Nola needs to return to his usual numbers for this team to succeed.
There are a bunch of “I don’t know” surrounding the Phillies while the Dodgers continue to thrive.
“The Dodgers, they didn’t make very many mistakes [against us in the postseason],” Dombrowski noted.
The Phillies didn’t make many mistakes either. And that’s part of the problem. There’s no clear answer for how this team can be the one still standing at the end of October.
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