Dave Dombrowski Changing Free Agent Philosophy With Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies may not be shopping at the top of the free agent market.

Aug 18, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Former Philadelphia Phillies president Dave Dombrowski during Phillies Alumni Weekend and the 20th anniversary of Citizens Bank Park before game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Throughout his tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies and at previous stops around baseball, Dave Dombrowski has garnered a reputation as someone unafraid of making a splash and pursuing stars.

However, those pursuits have been non-existent in recent years. There hasn’t been a free agent hitter from another team signed to a multi-year deal by the team since Trea Turner agreed to his 11-year deal ahead of the 2023 campaign. The only free agent in general who has landed a multi-year pact from the Phillies since that time is right-handed relief pitcher Brad Keller, who is now recovering from elbow surgery.

It is certainly not how Dombrowski normally operates, but it hasn’t stopped the team from spending. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber both re-signed with massive extensions, and there is some belief they will break that streak this winter with some albatross contracts coming off the books.

Surprisingly, Dombrowski pushed back on that belief when speaking to reporters at the MLB general managers’ meetings. Despite having some money to spend, Philadelphia may not pursue players at the top end of the market.

Phillies may not spend at top of the free agent market

May 16, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski in the dugout before the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Phillies at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I don’t know,” Dombrowski said, via Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required). “I guess it just depends on what ends up happening with different things. … We have a lot of high-end salary players. They’re not young. They’re not old, but they’re in that age bracket. You have to make a decision. Maybe we have enough high-end players, and we can complement them with other players overall. That’s a decision we have to make. But I’m not necessarily looking for our club to continue to get older. So you kind of factor all those things in and make a decision.”

The Phillies spent approximately $323 million, including the luxury tax, in 2026. There is no guarantee they will approach that number in 2027, but they are going to be amongst the highest payrolls in the sport again.

Dombrowski revealed that he does have a number in mind after speaking with John Middleton, but declined to reveal if the number would equal what the cost was last year.

“John’s always been tremendous,” Dombrowski said. “He’s very flexible, but I have a proximate area of what we’re going to be. And it’s very generous.”

It will certainly be interesting to see how Dombrowski navigates the free agent pool and trade market. His team needs help in several areas, which could lead to him dispersing his available funds to multiple players and not just a single target who is near the top of the market.

Infusing some youth into the lineup would be smart given how many projected starters are 33 years of age or older. It is partly why top prospect Aidan Miller is being mentioned as a piece of the 2027 roster, along with the monetary benefits that having a rookie on the roster provides.

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