The Philadelphia Phillies need a shakeup after losing to the New York Mets in the National League Division Series. After an NLCS defeat against the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, the Phillies ran it back. That cannot happen again. This was a year where the Phillies needed to win it all and they failed to do so. A .186/.295/.302 line in a postseason series for a team that has invested so much money in position players is unacceptable. The quiet bats were the main reason the Phillies lost the series. Furthermore a .194/.219/.290 line with runners in scoring position showcases the offensive struggles. For the third year in a row, the Phillies’ bats went cold when it mattered most.
Not helping matters, the pitching staff had a 5.82 ERA during the series. To make matters worse, the bullpen had a 11.37 ERA compared to a respectable 2.53 ERA for starting pitchers. In both Game 1 and Game 4, the Phillies top high-leverage relief pitchers failed to hold onto a one-run lead. Game 2 required a walk-off hit for the Phillies to win because of the bullpen as well. This NLDS against the Mets was a repeat of the last four games in the 2023 NLCS for the Phillies in many ways. Bullpen failures followed by the bats going ice cold is a recipe for an early postseason exit. Changes need to be made. If the Phillies were going to win the World Series with this group, it was this year.
Phillies Need a Shakeup After Another October Letdown
Areas for Potential Roster Changes
The core of Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Trea Turner should and will remain in place. Other areas of the roster, however, will need work. This will lead to some tough decisions for the front office. Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh, and Johan Rojas are all possible trade candidates in the offseason, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Bryson Stott should also be considered a trade candidate. Some of those players will be traded, but chances are not all of them will be. It is not fun to be in this position, but this is where the Phillies are after falling short for the third year in a row.
As the Phillies begin to survey the wreckage from this NLDS exit, there are avenues to improve. Some more obvious than others. First stab at the biggest issues that will define this offseason: https://t.co/4yRMScOmsg
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) October 10, 2024
Gelb added in his post-mortem that Austin Hays will probably be non-tendered by the Phillies, and the team will be looking to add an outfield bat. Carlos Estévez, Jeff Hoffman, and Spencer Turnbull are free agents this offseason. Gelb noted there is mutual interest in re-signing Estévez and Hoffman. In addition, he indicated that the Phillies might look to trade José Alvarado. Based on what Gelb is reporting, the 2025 Phillies roster is going to look noticeably different than this year’s. At this point, it is necessary to shake things up if the Phillies truly care about winning a World Series with the Harper-Wheeler-Nola-Turner core.
Coaching Staff Adjustments
Changes need to be made to the coaching staff as well. The Phillies need to fire hitting coach Kevin Long. Keeping Long on staff will lead to the same issue of the bats going cold in October, even if the roster changes. The lineup also needs to stop constantly chasing pitches. During the NLDS, the Phillies had a 25.5% strikeout rate and a 10.7% walk rate, along with a 74 wRC+. During the regular season, the Phillies had a 22.2% strikeout rate and an 8.4% walk rate with a 108 wRC+. Possible replacements for Long could be one of the New York Yankees assistant hitting coaches, Pat Roessler or Casey Dykes.
There is also a conversation that needs to be had about keeping Rob Thomson as manager. Thomson is currently under contract through the 2025 season. While it is tempting to say the Phillies should fire Thomson, a suitable replacement would be needed. President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski should be safe as well. If the Phillies were to fire Thomson the ideal candidate to take over would be Joe Maddon. The lone reason to fire Thomson now is if you are able to hire a World Series champion manager like Maddon. With that being said, Thomson should not receive another contract extension yet. Either way, staff changes are necessary along with roster changes for next season.
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