These 5 Phillies could join Rob Thomson on the unemployment line by season's end

The Philadelphia Phillies won the first game of the Don Mattingly era on Tuesday, but the journey back to contention won't take place in a single night. To quote Mattingly, rather bluntly, the Phillies need to play "better baseball." And to sustain it.

Mattingly stepped in for Rob Thomson, who was fired after a 9-19 start to the year. Philadelphia has played some of the least fundamental baseball in the league this season, from atrocious swing decisions to a comedy of errors in the field and the incredible volatility from its pitchers. If Mattingly can't sustain this turnaround, more Phillies will join Topper on the chopping block.

Rafael Marchán

Rafael Marchán won the backup catcher job over Garrett Stubbs in spring training, which was a no-brainer in the moment. And while that fact hasn't necessarily changed — Stubbs is far from a proven MLB hitter — Marchán's early struggles have called into question just how much longer he'll be on the Phillies roster. He's out of contract options, so it's at the point where Philadelphia will need to trade or waive him to make a change.

Marchán is hitting .091 (4-for-44) with a .308 OPS through 44 at-bats this season. For what it's worth, Stubbs is 2-for-6 since he re-signed in lieu of the injured JT Realmuto. That's too small a sample to really draw conclusions, but he's halfway to Marchán's hit total in 38 fewer at-bats. One of Philadelphia's backup catchers will get the axe once Realmuto is back, and looking further down the road, that position could be a prime upgrade target around the deadline. Marchán's seat is scorching.

LHP Tanner Banks

Tanner Banks was an incredibly sturdy presence in his first full season with the Phillies. The veteran southpaw put up a 3.07 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 67.1 innings. In fact, Philadelphia was so comfortable with Banks and the returning José Alvarado, their primary lefties out of the bullpen, that Dave Dombrowski was comfortable trading Matt Strahm for Jonathan Bowlan, a righty with more club control.

Neither Alvarado nor Banks have performed well out of the gate, but it's Banks whose struggles are most alarming. He's technically not a free agent until 2029, but his current output — 7.20 ERA and 2.50 WHIP across 10.0 innings — might force Philadelphia's hand sooner than later. The bullpen as a collective has underperformed this season, but it's easy to find silver linings with Alvarado, Brad Keller and other higher-leverage weapons. Banks is 34 and opponents are just peppering his slider (.357 AVG) and sweeper (.538 AVG), which are his most-used pitches.

RHP Jhoan Durán

Jhoan Durán is still one of the absolute best relievers in baseball, to be clear. He's also under club control through next season, so there's no immediate pressure to deal him elsewhere.

That said, the Phillies might need to consider selling high at the deadline if their record stays in the basement. Point blank, there's always interest in high-leverage arms — especially those with multiple years under contract left. Philadelphia would need to weigh their own investment against incoming trades, as Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait were both consensus top-100 prospects. Abel is a star of Minnesota's rotation right now. If the Phillies can meaningfully boost their thin farm system, however, it could be worth biting the bullet on a Durán trade. Especially with Brad Keller signed through 2027, too.

Given the Phillies' desire to compete next year, however, this is probably a stretch. Dave Dombrowski is unafraid to extend his stars and Durán was a fast fan favorite. His splinker and fastball combo remains the most unhittable two-pitch mix in the National League outside of Mason Miller's slider and fastball, so it would take a truly magnificent haul.

3B Alec Bohm

Alec Bohm is a mandatory mention here. The former All-Star is a free agent at season's end and what little incentive to extend him existed previously has dissipated with Bohm's performance so far this season. He's hitting .157 with a .444 OPS and one home run in 102 at-bats. He's the worst qualified hitter in the National League, point blank.

Philadelphia's beleaguered third baseman came through with a couple hits against the Giants on Tuesday, and in a perfect world, the Topper wake-up call is enough to snap Bohm back into gear. But his inability to develop even a remotely functional power tool is a huge indictment. At his best, Bohm is a effectively a slap-hitter with limited speed or defensive utility.

The Phillies stuck with Bohm as their cleanup hitter of choice for too long with nothing but diminishing returns. After attempting to upgrade to Bo Bichette last offseason, the Phils will be forced to find a solution in 2027. There's no way Bohm can be on this team next year.

Hitting coach Kevin Long

Kevin Long is one of the most revered hitting coaches in MLB. Any time Rob Thomson (or now Don Mattingly) has received questions about Long's job security, his incredible résumé is recited or alluded to.

Long won a World Series with the Yankees under Joe Girardi in 2009. He also won a pennant with the Mets, plus another World Series with the Nationals in 2019. He has shephered a great many stars to their highest peaks. There's a reason the Phillies refuse to blame him for their struggles at the plate. One rough month does not undo years of accomplishment.

That said, the Phillies' offense has proven impotent in the postseason for a couple years running at this point. The stalled development of Bohm or Bryson Stott, or even now Justin Crawford, points to real fundamental issues. The Phillies can't seem to hit lefties this year either. Long has survived through multiple managerial changes since he arrived in Philly in 2021 under Girardi. But this could be his last stand. The Phillies need to change their collective approach at the plate.

More MLB news and analysis:

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow