Philadelphia Phillies Still Have Offseason Needs and Unachieved Goals to Reconcile

The Philadelphia Phillies still have some work to do before the 2025 season gets underway.

Apr 10, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski before game against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies started their offseason work much earlier than anticipated.

After winning the National League East with 95 victories in the regular season, the second most in baseball, they earned a bye into the NLDS. It didn’t help them much, as they were eliminated by the New York Mets in four games.

In that disappointing series, a few issues arose, giving the team a potential blueprint on what to address once free agency began. Their bullpen faltered and the outfield provided underwhelming production.

Those two spots, along with finding some starting rotation depth, were on their to-do list in the winter.

With just about a month until Spring Training gets underway, the team has fully completed only one of those goals - starting rotation depth.

Jesus Luzardo, who was acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins, provides the team with elite upside as the No. 5 starter, taking over for Taijuan Walker. Eventually, top prospect Andrew Painter will be in the mix as well behind Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez.

The Phillies did add an outfielder to the mix, signing Max Kepler to a one-year deal. But, he has zero experience playing left field, where he is penciled in as the starter.

That is a risk in itself before taking into consideration his less-than-stellar track record of durability and staying healthy.

In the bullpen, Jeff Hoffman has departed, agreeing to a three-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Carlos Estevez could be on his way out of town as well, as he remains a free agent with a market that is heating up.

The only addition the team has made to their late-inning mix is Jordan Romano, the former Blue Jays closer who battled injury in 2024 and was non-tendered. Joe Ross was also signed, but will likely operate as a swingman.

All of those moves have resulted in David Schoenfield of ESPN giving the team a “B” grade at the midway point of the offseason.

The team made some high-risk, high-reward moves, as all of their biggest acquisitions struggled to stay healthy in 2024 and are hoping they can bounce back in 2025.

That is certainly not the kind of offseason many fans were expecting or hoping for, but this is still a team with legitimate World Series aspirations. They have one of the best starting rotations in baseball that will anchor the team’s success and Dave Dombrowski isn’t afraid to make moves to shake things up.

Landing a bonafide center fielder to move Brandon Marsh back to left field, creating a solid platoon in right field with Kepler and Nick Castellanos, would solidify the lineup. If they can add another late-game option to the bullpen, their pitching staff would be set as well.