Phillies Need To Make Most of Last Hurrah for Current Core

The Philadelphia Phillies have shown a lot of moxie this season, putting together a historic midseason turnaround.

After going 9-19 to start the season, which led to the firing of manager Rob Thomson, the Phillies have more closely resembled the team many thought they would be. They are now 57-50, but have not been playing great baseball since the second half began.

Philadelphia has lost its first three series to the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. Their opener on the road against the Miami Marlins, a stretch of 31 games against teams not currently in the playoff field, was a disaster with Zack Wheeler giving up five earned runs and Jhoan Duran blowing a save, surrendering three, in an 8-7 loss.

Still holding onto the second Wild Card spot in the National League, the Phillies are two games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks, who are tied for the third Wild Card spot.

Phillies won't sell at deadline, but could retool this offseason

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski looks on in the dugout. — May 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski looks on in the dugout before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Has this latest swoon changed how the front office will operate? Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) doesn’t believe so, but this could very well be the last chance this current core has to play together. Should they fall short in the postseason again, a retool of some level could come in the summer.

“It’s a great question, but I believe the Phillies owe it to Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo and Cristopher Sánchez to make one last push at the deadline. They do have a team that can be a threat in a short playoff series because of the players I just listed. If it doesn’t work out, then a rebuild in the offseason should be on the table for the reasons you listed,” Bowden wrote in a mailbag, answering a reader’s question about Philadelphia taking a one-year pause to restock.

As the case has been in previous years, there is a lot of star power on the Phillies. Their roster is top-heavy, with All-Stars and Cy Young candidates both in the lineup and on the pitching staff.

However, there are real flaws to this team that are going to make it difficult to sustain success or make any noise in the postseason. History suggests their inability to get on base with any consistency makes a playoff appearance unlikely.

Phillies star power could get them through short playoff series

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws against the Miami Marlins. — Jul 27, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Their Big 3 in the rotation of Zack Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo and Cristopher Sanchez can match up with any in baseball. However, the last two spots in their rotation have been a disaster, with the last win in a start by anyone who isn’t one of those aforementioned three coming on June 24.

Dave Dombrowski is going to do everything he can to upgrade this team ahead of the deadline to make them as competitive as possible down the stretch and in the postseason. However, it is going to be difficult for him to swing a blockbuster trade given the dearth of assets in the minor league system.

Trading a player such as Justin Crawford becomes a possibility if he wants to try and make a big splash. But how much of the future is he going to be willing or able to sacrifice to upgrade a roster that could sneak into the postseason but has too many flaws to be considered a true World Series contender?

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