These 6 Phillies broke fans heart this postseason, and won't be back as a result

The Philadelphia Phillies season couldn't have ended in more heartbreaking fashion. Normally, I'd consider that statement paraphrasing or even hyperbole, but in this case I mean it. Orion Kerkering had a chance to extend Game 4 to a 12th inning, but instead threw the baseball into the sun. Kerkering struggled to find a comebacker, but once he did, couldn't get a solid grip on the baseball and the rest is history.

For now, the Phillies must soak in their defeat. Exit interviews will occur over the next few days – almost a little too quickly, if you ask some of the players around the game – and Dave Dombrowski will decide which direction the Phillies must pivot from here. Fortunately for Philadelphia, they should have plenty of financial commitment from owner John Middleton. Unfortunately, there are plenty of impact players on this roster set to hit the open market.

The Phillies won't be the only team bidding on said players, which clouds their future quite a bit. With typical contenders like the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves in their own division, and the upstart Washington Nationals only a few years away, the Phillies cannot afford to take a step back. They also likely can't afford to bring everyone back.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.

Philadelphia Phillies trade targets: Who could be shopped this winter?

Nick Castellanos

If Dombrowski was considering keeping Castellanos heading into this postseason, that went out the window after his postgame comments in Game 2. The Phillies lost both games at home and were resoundingly booed as a result. That is their love language. Castellanos, after spending four years in Philadelphia, doesn't seem to understand that.

“I think that the stadium is alive on both sides, right?” Castellanos said, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. “When the game is going good, it’s wind at our back, but when the game is not going good, it’s wind in our face. The environment can be with us, and the environment can be against us.”

To make matters worse, Castellanos insisted that the Phillies stars could be struggling at the plate because they were getting booed. He blamed the fans for the Phils recent playoff defeats at Citizens Bank Park.

All that being said, Castellanos should be traded because he is expendable. He has a year left on his deal, and had a bWAR of -1.0 this season. Even his bat is unreliable at this stage of his career. If the Phillies can get anything of substance for him, they ought to deal him.

Taijaun Walker

Walker has a year left on his contract, but he also isn't a regular member of the Phillies rotation. Philly has the likes of Andrew Painter and Gage Wood, likely starting pitchers, in their farm system as well. Painter has a real shot to make the Opening Day roster out of spring training. With that in mind, Walker could be an intriguing trade asset considering his impressive bounceback season.

Walker was 5-8 with an ERA just over four in 2025. While he's clashed with manager Rob Thomson in the past over postseason roster assignments and the like, Walker would be a middle-of-the-rotation starter for most teams. Based on how the Phillies look after free agency, they could use Walker as a trade asset to add depth elsewhere.

Is Phillies manager Rob Thomson safe? It's a toss-up

Rob Thomson has led the Phillies to the postseason three straight seasons. His team won 95 games this year. In most cities, that would be enough to warrant a contract extension. In Philadelphia, Thomson has to worry about his job. This Phillies team is loaded with talent, but their window is shutting. If Dombrowski wants to shake things up without gutting the roster, he will look to Thomson first.

With the Phils loss on Thursday, they have now fallen short of the World Series in each of the last three postseasons. In 2023, they blew a 2-0 NLCS lead to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2024, they fell to the rival Mets in four games in the NLDS. Now, they suffered the same fate against the Dodgers. This Phillies team is stagnant at best, and going backwards at worst. The problem might be the man in charge.

“I’m not even thinking about that (my job) right now. I’ve got 60 people in there that are brokenhearted right now. I’m thinking about that a lot more than my job right now," Thomson said after Game 4.

Thomson is a players' manager, and the clubhouse loves him for it. He is a comfortable man to play for, but perhaps that's a problem. At some point, Thomson has to challenge his team. Either he's not up for that job, or is incapable of doing so.

Phillies free agents who are at risk of leaving

David Robertson

Robertson is on the wrong side of 40 these days, and is one of the least consequential members of the Phillies bullpen. The question about Robertson isn't just if the Phillies will consider bringing him back, but if he's capable of pitching a full season due to his age and health. If not, Robertson ought to consider retirement, along with signing on for a different team that is not the Phils.

Philly may have address its bullpen somewhat at the trade deadline. Jhoan Duran was an incredible fit and should be the Phillies closer for years to come. Robertson doesn't fit into the picture, as he had an ERA over four in just 20 appearances.

Jordan Romano

Jordan Romano was an abject disaster for the Phillies. Romano was a two-time All-Star with the Blue Jays, and was signed to be the Phils closer last winter. Dombrowski misfired on Romano, but thankfully he was signed to just a one-year deal, so the Phillies can cut bait and admit defeat. Romano is no longer need – not in the back end, anyway – and would be better off signing another one-year prove it deal with another team. The Phillies window could close any day now, and they can't afford to take flyers on pitchers with an ERA over eight who have already frustrated the fanbase.

Romano didn't make a single appearance in September or October. He wasn't on the Phillies postseason roster, nor should he have been even at full health.

Kyle Schwarber

Yes, we saved the most painful for last. Schwarber wants to stay in Philadelphia. He is beloved by this fanbase and worth every penny given how he performed this season and in pretty much every postseason until this one. There's no denying Schwarber struggled in October, but he's coming off a season in which he he 56 home runs and had a 4.7 WAR as a DH.

Some team will overpay for Schwarber – a player Spotrac projects to receive nearly $25 million per year on the free-agent market – and the Phillies will have a tough decision to make. Assuming Schwarber gives the Phillies the last word, which he is by no means under obligation to do, Dombrowski could either eat the money and let him walk or pay what could be a record-breaking amount of money for a DH. Schwarber is many things, but a capable fielder is not one of them.