Maybe it’s time to bring this baby back out again.
As Dave Dombrowski and the rest of the Phillies’ front office embarks on a mission to retool a $300 million+ roster this winter, much of the attention will be focused on free agents and the trade market.
That’s understandable. Ever since Dombrowski’s arrival, the Phils have spent a ton of cash on players from outside the organization. They had to. Under former general manager Matt Klentak, the farm system was an abyss. The Phillies drafted the wrong
players and didn’t know how to develop them, leaving the rebuilding team without a young core to build around.
So Dombrowski purchased a World Series caliber roster. He signed Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos and Trea Turner. He re-signed J.T. Realmuto and Aaron Nola to free agent contracts, although they had been with the team previously. He extended Zack Wheeler. He traded for Jesus Luzardo. Those moves have largely formed the heartbeat of a Phils team that has been one of the premier regular season teams in baseball over the last four years.
Dombrowski will continue to search outside the organization for big league talent to help get this group, or some combination of it, over the hump. You will hear the names Pete Alonso, Kyle Tucker, Eugenio Suarez, and every hard-throwing reliever on the market a lot this off-season. Any would be a welcome addition to a roster sorely in need of more offensive punch.
But in order to keep the World Series window open, it’s time to start trusting the prospects once again.
During the rebuild that began in earnest in 2015, the Phillies decided it was time to deal away their aging star players and acquire as many prospects as possible. Those prospects, as well as the team’s own draft picks, would form the backbone of what the fanbase hoped would be the next great Phillies run of success.
Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm, all former first round picks by the Phillies, have contributed in meaningful ways. Brandon Marsh was acquired to be the team’s center fielder of the future. He’s been fine, but miscast in that role. The Cristopher Sanchez trade may go down as one of the greatest in franchise history, and his contract extension is the most team-friendly in the Majors. Some of this was on Dombrowski’s watch, some on his predecessor.
What Dombrowski must do now is show faith in his process. The Phillies have seemingly had three untouchable prospects over the last two years: Andrew Painter, Adain Miller and Justin Crawford. Dombrowski has held onto all three with a vice-like grip, unwilling to move any of them in previous off-seasons or trade deadlines, even with a team whose World Series window is open right now.
Dombrowski has stated he believes the way you keep a window of contention open longer is by continually supplementing your big league roster with younger players, hopefully most of them home grown. He has made it his mission to hold onto his Big 3 prospects at all costs.
Now is the time for the Phillies to utilize those prospects to try and win a World Series.
As decisions are made regarding the 2026 roster and beyond, they must be done with their prospects in mind, the very same prospects they refused to include in mid-season deals that could have netted the Phillies a better player than they ended up dealing for otherwise. Every Major Leaguer you require in free agency or trade could potentially block one of these players from reaching the Majors.
Re-signing Harrison Bader would prevent Crawford from taking over in center or force him to left field. Unless the Phillies went out and got Trent Grisham or traded for Jo Adell or someone like that to play center, Crawford’s real value lies there. His bat doesn’t profile all that great for a corner outfield spot.
Re-signing Ranger Suarez could create a logjam in the starting rotation that could prevent Painter from landing a spot out of spring training, although given the sudden uncertainties around Wheeler’s and Nola’s futures, it could make sense to bring him back and promote Painter at the same time. Sure, his AAA numbers weren’t great last year, but it’s time for him to join the big league rotation. And signing a premier third baseman in free agency, Alex Bregman or Eugenio Suarez, could prevent the Phils from promoting Miller and perhaps moving him to third base in 2026 and, certainly, beyond that. If they do get someone for third base, it’s highly likely they move Miller to a corner outfield spot or plan to send Trea Turner out there at some point in the near future.
Last year’s No. 1 draft pick, right-hander Gage Wood, is just 21 and will likely start in High-A, but could make an Orion Kerkering-like leap to the Majors this year as a reliever. The Phillies were high on starter Moises Chace last year before he showed up to spring training out of shape and was then injured. Jean Cabrera is another pitcher who could help, but at the moment, there don’t appear to be a lot of other options on the farm to provide an immediate impact. Griffin Burkholder is another right-handed reliever to keep an eye on, too. The Phils desperately need to develop effective bullpen arms, and fast.
Put bluntly, it will be a major failure of this organization if some combination of Painter, Crawford and/or Miller aren’t contributing in a significant way in 2026. Sometimes, new blood doesn’t have to come from outside the organization. The best new blood is from within.
Trust the prospects. You drafted them. You kept them.
Play them.
