Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Dave Dombrowski's Phillies face a flawed roster with critical gaps in pitching depth and bench strength.
- The lack of a reliable backup plan for the starting rotation could haunt Philadelphia all season.
- One veteran move late last year stands out as the only bright spot in an otherwise thin bullpen.
The Philadelphia Phillies have a hole to dig themselves out from. Although they’ve played better since firing Rob Thomson, coincidental or not, it remains a flawed ball club. The blame will and should always fall on the architect of the roster.
That’s Dave Dombrowski who seems uncrackable. He has built championships before and Phillies ownership continues to let him spend to infinity without always taking a logical stance.
Philadelphia can already kiss the NL East goodbye and a few of those early losses in 2026 might have doomed them from competing for the NL Wild Card. They can’t play the Colorado Rockies at home every weekend.
Signing Taijuan Walker for four years and letting it play out
There might not be a worse Phillies free agent signing under Dombrowski than Taijuan Walker. Coming off of a good year with the New York Mets, the Phillies gave him $18 million a year for four seasons. Was it better or worse than going three years at a higher rate? That’s an argument no one will win because Walker was inexcusably average even at his best.
Sure, he won 15 games in 2022 with the aid of a potent offense. He wrapped up his Phillies tenure with a 24-25 record and 5.12 ERA. Shoved into the bullpen for a large part of it, the Walker signing was a miss by Dombrowski that’ll continue to haunt the ball club. His roster spot and the finances invested into him would have been far better spent elsewhere.
Not having a starting rotation backup plan or any notable depth
Minus Walker who has since been released, the Phillies have given longtime top prospect Andrew Painter a wide open door to excel in the majors. He has struggled, but that’s not the mistake. The Phillies lack any sort of pitching depth behind the main four. Zack Wheeler is back, Cristopher Sanchez wants to win a Cy Young, and you can flip a coin whenever Aaron Nola or Jesus Luzardo start a game.
There isn’t much starting pitching depth in the minors either with experience or not that’ll aid the Phillies. Nobody in Triple-A. Jean Cabrera is their best prospect in Lehigh Valley. His ERA is over 9.00 after 7 starts. The ball club doesn’t have a veteran journeyman sitting in the bullpen with the ability to get stretched out for some spot starts or anyone of significance waiting in the minors. Those players, while not deal breakers, are necessary. The Phillies never seem to snag them and it’ll make them pay.
Almost everything he has done with the bullpen except for Jhoan Duran
Yet again, the Phillies bullpen is short of perfection. They’ve had Orion Kerkering and Chase Shugart pitch well in front of Jhoan Duran. But Jose Alvarado, Tanner Banks, and offseason free agent Brad Keller have all been much less satisfying.
One player to pay close attention to this year will be Matt Strahm who was traded to the Kansas City Royals in the offseason. A 3.68 ERA thus far, he is well ahead in that statistic than Alvarado and Banks. Luckily for the Phillies, Tim Mayza has done well. A random waiver claim late last season, Mayza leads the team in relief innings pitched. Are we buying its sustainability?
Sticking with Alec Bohm at third base
The Phillies were never going to get anything of value for Alec Bohm. Nevertheless, sticking with him at third base was a mistake. Possibly a bit distracted by the lawsuit involving his parents’ misuse of money, all of the signs have been there for the Phillies to move on from their longtime third baseman for a couple of years.
Bohm is hitting just .180 this year and that’s with a big weekend that included a two-home run game versus the Rockies. If not for that 4 for 7 weekend and a pair of Phillies wins, the point would have been further exhausted. Bohm is finally a free agent after the current 2026 season. Letting him walk will be one of Dombrowski’s easiest decisions.
The bench feels hollow beyond Edmundo Sosa
Edmundo Sosa is a good bench player even if he ends up playing a lot more because of Bryson Stott having a lackluster year. Beyond him, it’s a very weak offensive group. Two catchers on the bench while you're paying starter J.T. Realmuto as much as you are? The Phillies are constantly an injury away from having a black hole in the lineup.
An approach of going star-heavy while ignoring the other pieces has defined a large part of Dombrowski’s Phillies tenure. Unafraid to spend and pay players in perpetuity, his biggest mistake will ultimately be the lack of planning for the worst. The depth chart goes from Plan-A to Z incredibly quickly.
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