How Can Dombrowski, Phillies Awaken A Stale Lineup?
Rob Thomson unsurprisingly presented a calm message when the Philadelphia Phillies returned to Citizens Bank Park from a brutal road trip. While one bad stretch doesn’t define an MLB season,…
Rob Thomson unsurprisingly presented a calm message when the Philadelphia Phillies returned to Citizens Bank Park from a brutal road trip.
While one bad stretch doesn’t define an MLB season, the Phillies face the possible extended absence of Bryce Harper during a stretch of nine losses in 10 games capped off with a sweep against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates.
A recent offensive drought, a leaky, undermanned bullpen, and a questions about declining veterans legitimize a question from a restless fan base with World Series expectations.
Have the Phillies grown stale?
Phillies Growing Stale
The first 26 games of the season didn’t inspire an attitude adjustment that helped Philadelphia fans move on from the disappointment of an early playoff exit in 2024.
The New York Mets swept the Phillies at Citi Field in the low point of a forgettable month of April. The vocal critics of Dave Dombrowski’s minimally active offseason blasted the redundant lineup that’s slumped at inopportune times in recent Red Octobers.
Buster Olney joined The Mike Missanelli Show with a sentiment that Dombrowski hasn’t addressed entering either of the past two offseasons.
“Generally speaking, what I do hear through the years, managers (and) general managers, they talk a lot about having a fresh (addition) that you need to turn over your roster to some degree – year after year after year – so you get players who are hungry and you don't get stale as a group. I'm sure that the Phillies are looking. As they look for solutions in some of these places where they're having struggles that they would consider something like that.”
-Buster Olney (on 97.5 The Fanatic)
The Phillies have reverted to the same struggles. They don’t boast a deep lineup. Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner are their only two hitters who can strike fear into opposing pitchers with Harper on the shelf.
J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos haven’t matched the offensive production of their prime career seasons. Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, and Brandon Marsh have failed to develop from promising young hitters into lineup cornerstones the past four seasons.
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesA turnstile of mediocre left fielders and center fielders have sunk the bottom of the lineup for an extended stretch of the current era of the franchise.
Marsh and Johan Rojas haven’t produced offensively or defensively enough to justify themselves as everyday players. A black hole in center field has persisted.
Dombrowski failed to supplement their weaknesses with the additions of Cristian Pache, Whit Merrifield, and Austin Hays in previous seasons. He’s repeated the mistakes in 2025 depending too heavily on Weston Wilson and Max Kepler.
A Different Dave Dombrowski?
The Phillies have grown stale, sure. However, they’re remarkably in the top half of MLB teams in almost every major offensive category. They returned to Citizens Bank Park ninth in runs per game, 10th in OPS, and 12th in batting average.
What does a struggling team with World Series hopes do when they need a spark? The passionate discourse will naturally focus heavily on trade rumors.
The Phillies will explore opportunities approaching the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline on July 31, especially with such a clear lack of dependable veteran relievers.
However, not every shakeup has to come from a high-profile trade.
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty ImagesDombrowski has shown a less aggressive approach during his tenure with the Phillies. His recent trade history doesn’t necessarily align with the reputation he earned from World Series appearances with three other MLB organizations.
The Phillies looked like an obvious player in the MLB offseason sweepstakes this past winter. Their seemingly shrinking window of World Series contention with stars in their 30s and potential upcoming changes seemed like a natural reason for high-profile acquisitions.
However, they let the hot stove simmer. Other National League contenders landed big names like Juan Soto, Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, and Kyle Tucker.
Why did Dombrowski pass on blockbuster moves? He had his farm system and the franchise payroll in mind more than most people expected.
“One thing we’ve done is we really rode out the development of our farm system over the last few years. And we’re just getting to the point of having the impact that those guys (provide). It’s not quite here, but we’re on the verge of having some really good young players. This is where I disagree with people. ‘The Phillies are in a position where, maybe, their time is ending’ ... I always say it might be that the time for this present roster (is almost ending) because some guys are free agents. But we have some really good young players coming.”
-Dave Dombrowski (via The Athletic)
Dombrowski is proud of the rebuilt farm system during the tenure of Preston Mattingly. He hopes to expand the window of contention by restocking his roster over a longer period. He must weigh the idea against investing too heavily in one season in 2025 with an all-in strategy.
The hopes that his top prospects Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford, and Aidan Miller can become long-term contributors hasn’t helped the Phillies plug their holes with immediate solutions at the big league level.
The pattern doesn't necessarily exclude the Phillies from trade talks. They’ve acquired Carlos Estevez, Jesus Luzardo, and other MLB-ready pieces the past two seasons. They've trade fairly significant prospect value, but Dombrowski has mostly dealt prospects from lower levels of the farm system years away from reaching the majors.
Phillies Have Prospect Options
If Dombrowski doesn’t plan to flip prospects in a blockbuster deadline deal, how does he plan to correct a stale Phillies team in the middle of a brutal slump?
Miller, their top prospect position player, is unlikely to reach the majors in 2025.
Andrew Painter will join the Phillies in “July-ish” if he continues his current workload without health concerns. Mick Abel has already flashed in two MLB starts. The rejuvenated righty will stay with the big club short term because of Aaron Nola’s absence.
However, neither of the two talented prospects offers the Phillies a solution for the biggest immediate problems in the lineup or in the bullpen (at least not midseason).
Expect the Phillies to work on optimizing the top pitchers in their organization – whether starters or relievers – into more ideal roles before Red October. Painter and Abel will contribute to the overall pitching depth and the club's options if they perform in the coming months.
Harper’s injury creates a corner infield opening for Otto Kemp. The 25-year-old righty has torn the cover off the ball for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs this season. His .313/.416/.594 slash line and 13 home runs naturally pushed the front office to promote him for his MLB debut in Pittsburgh.
However, Kemp will have to prove himself at the highest level when the gap between major league and minor league pitching has widened incredibly in recent seasons. He also hasn’t reached a comfort level in left field, where he’d more ideally slot to steal at-bats from the struggling Marsh, Kepler, or Wilson.
Gabriel Rincones turned some heads with an excellent performance in spring training. He provides a better defensive fit than Kemp if the Phillies hope to insert a prospect in left field.
However, his underwhelming production with a .716 OPS and seven home runs in Triple A won’t add much luster for a call-up option.
The most intriguing option is a prospect the Phillies must evaluate sooner than they might’ve expected.
Justin Crawford earned a roster spot with the IronPigs to begin the 2025 season, somewhat unexpectedly.
The Phillies selected Crawford in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He’s adjusted well with a sparkling .349/.416/.448 slash line in Triple A.
Crawford has developed as a pesky type of hitter the Phillies might be able to use grinding at-bats at the bottom of their order. According to Matt Gelb, evaluators have expressed concern about his unusual fundamental swing and how it would translate at the major league level.
The third-ranked prospect in the system provides a seemingly natural fit with a preference for center field and an offensive approach the notoriously freeswinging Phillies lack.
Dombrowski and the Phillies have held onto these prospects instead of executing theoretical moves that could’ve drastically shifted 2025 World Series odds in their favor.
Will they promote any prospects looking for the spark a stale lineup needs? Or, will they continue with an uninspiring club whose recurring flaws could prevent them from an elusive championship ring yet again?
