The Philadelphia Phillies need an organizational reset following their crushing defeat against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series. Losing a Series while having a 2-0 and 3-2 lead over Arizona could have been better for a team looking for a second straight Fall Classic appearance. The Phillies have suffered disappointing playoff defeats for two years in a row. However, this one differs from the loss to the Houston Astros in the World Series last year. Last year, the Phillies were the underdog team nobody expected to be in the World Series. This year, the Phillies came into the postseason as a favorite to win it all. But once again, just like in the teams from 2009 through 2011, the Phillies came up short with a team capable of winning the whole thing. Those three teams had better regular season records than the 2008 Phillies World Series championship-winning team but could not seal the deal themselves.
This loss will sting for a little bit. But it will also go down in history with other infamous Phillies playoff defeats. It’s similar to the 2011 NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals, among others, as a series the Phillies let slip away. Too often, the Phillies have come up short when it matters most. The Phillies bullpen issues came back to haunt them. Part of why they lost to the Diamondbacks is because Craig Kimbrel turned into Mitch Williams. Teams like this should be able to finish the job and win a series.
Phillies Organization Observations
What Reset the Phillies Need
Phillies owner John Middleton and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski need to thoroughly evaluate the job that the players and coaching staff did this season. In all likelihood, changes need to be made. How drastic those changes are will be decided by Middleton and Dombrowski. The Phillies need an organizational reset to win another World Series. If that means firing manager Rob Thomson, then fire Thomson. If that means making a tough decision and moving on from clubhouse favorite Garrett Stubbs, move on from Stubbs. Whether they like it or not, Middleton and Dombrowski must make tough decisions this offseason. Dombrowski will have to decide to bring back players like Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins, who are pending free agents.
Middleton needs to open the checkbook in free agency for Dombrowski. The most pressing need for the Phillies is to fix their bullpen once and for all. That starts by not re-signing Kimbrel and finding a new closer. Whether that be, for example, Jose Alvarado or someone else remains to be seen. The Phillies must make every possible effort to sign Josh Hader in free agency. Acquiring Hader can be a game-changer for the Phillies bullpen if the team decides to move on from Nola; a suitable rotation replacement must be found. What happens with Hoskins depends partly on whether Harper can go back to playing in the outfield regularly. With the emergence of Johan Rojas as a starter, among other factors, Hoskins has likely played his last game in a Phillies uniform.
Where do the Phillies Go From Here?
The Phillies will have a long offseason of reflection about what went wrong in the NLCS. Thinking long and hard about this is necessary to turn things around and prevent this from happening again. Watching a team celebrate a pennant on your field should serve as a wake-up call for everyone on this team. When it comes time for spring training in Clearwater, this team should come in better and more motivated than ever. Phildealphia will have something to prove to everyone in 2024.
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