Dave Dombrowski Made Major Mistake With This Phillies Bullpen

The bullpen for the Philadelphia Phillies is a major problem, and that's on president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

Apr 15, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski watches batting practice before the game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park / Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies were expected to make some changes this winter .

After losing in excruciating fashion the past two postseasons, the consensus thinking throughout the baseball world was that the ultra-aggressive Dave Dombrowski would shake things up when it came to the roster of the Phillies.

A lot was rumored, but virtually nothing got done.

As a result, Philadelphia looks almost identical to what was in place for their second straight disappointing exit from the playoffs. And a lot of the same concerns are still prevalent.

Bullpen issues are at the top of the list.

Following a year where the relief staff finished 14th in ERA (3.94) during the regular season, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski watched that unit implode against the New York Mets in the playoffs and did nothing to address it.

Sure, he signed Jordan Romano and Joe Ross, but those two aren't players who can change the outlook of this bullpen.

It should be no surprise that Philadelphia is already having issues when they pull their starters.

The Phillies are 22nd in bullpen ERA (4.22), something that was on full display against the Atlanta Braves when the relief staff gave up a combined seven earned runs in three games to cost them this series.

Financial constraints were at the forefront of the limited offseason that this franchise had, but it's clear that the decision to not fully address the problems that have existed within this unit for the past several years is going to be an issue for Philadelphia throughout this campaign.

Unless Romano finds his past form, Orion Kerkering is a future All-Star closer, Jose Alvarado turns back the clock and the other complimentary pieces in the bullpen become shutdown arms, then it's going to be hard for this team to close out games with a lead.

And if that's the case, it's fully on Dombrowski for not upgrading the weakest spot on this roster.

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