Phillies offseason to-do list: All the tough decisions Dave Dombrowski faces this winter

The Philadelphia Phillies’ roster will look vastly different next season. After their shocking National League Divisional Series exit, there’s really no other option.

This Phillies season had so much promise and for much of the season, they appeared to be World Series favorites. The lineup was dominant. The pitching staff, headlined by Ranger Suarez, was a strength. The bullpen had breakout performances from Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman and added Carlos Estevez, one of the best relievers in baseball, at the trade deadline in exchange for two top pitching prospects.

Then the Phillies sputtered for parts of the second half. They still earned a first round bye – and were promptly eliminated by the New York Mets in four games.

Here’s an offseason preview for a Phillies team that should be very, very busy.

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Philadelphia Phillies free-agent targets

If there’s one thing that Phillies owner John Middleton and president of baseball operations Dave Dombroski have in common, it’s that each loves a big splash.

Even before the playoff collapse, a big move felt possible. Now, it feels very possible, and Juan Soto could be a prime target.

The Soto-to-Phillies connection makes so much sense. First, the Phillies have an owner who would fund the potential $600 million it would take to sign Soto. But look at the Phillies’ roster. Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber were all teammates with Soto with the Washington Nationals. But the key connection could be the Phillies’ hitting coach, Kevin Long, who is highly regarded in baseball circles and served as Soto’s hitting coach in Washington.

In addition to Soto, the Phillies figure to target pitching this winter. They were quietly after Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason and Roki Sasaki, who some believe is better than Yamamoto, could be posted this year. If he is, it would make a lot of sense for the Phillies to be involved, and it would surprise no one if Philadelphia was a prime suitor.

Will the Phillies be active in the trade market?

It would be a surprise if the Phillies weren’t active in the trade market, both in trying to upgrade the roster and selling off players on the major-league roster.

The core in Philadelphia – Harper, Turner, Schwarber, Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler – are all safe. They are going nowhere. But every other player on the roster figures to at least be entertained in trade conversations, with names such as Brandon Marsh and Alec Bohm among many possibilities. One name that has been floated in reports is Nick Castellanos, but such a trade figures to be highly unlikely considering his production and impact in the Phillies’ clubhouse.

What free agents should the Phillies keep?

The list of Phillies free agents includes Carlos Estevez, Jeff Hoffman and Spencer Turnbull. There appears to be mutual interest in returns for both Estevez and Hoffman, so it would not come as a surprise if something were to get done between both sides. 

One additional note: One of the Phillies’ midseason acquisitions, outfielder Austin Hays, appears to be a strong potential non-tender candidate. It would not be a surprise if he were shopped in the days after the postseason.