"It's not Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber" - Phillies insider sheds light on Dave Dombrowski's plans after All-Star outfielder's non-tender
The Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, is expected to make some improvements to the roster after a tame end to their 2024 campaign. However, according to Phillies insider Connor Thomas, they will not move out any of the core players from the previous season even though they decided to non-tender All-Star outfielder Austin Hays this past weekend.
Austin Hays was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline in exchange for right-handed reliever Seranthony Dominguez and outfielder Christian Pache. He had only 80 plate appearances in 22 games and batted .256/.275/.397 with two home runs, six RBIs, and an OPS+ of 86. Hays is now a free agent after the Phillies refrained from keeping him on the roster for next season.
Connor Thomas said this is a good indication of the trade moves that the Phillies are likely to make during this offseason. Thomas is the host of the Locked on Phillies Podcast. He claimed Dave Dombrowski is not looking to overhaul the roster; therefore, he will mainly focus on trading for peripheral players and will not ship away any of their superstars from the team.
"The changes the Philadelphia Phillies are going to make to 'run it back' this off-season are going to be in the margins," he said. "It's not [Bryce] Harper, it's not [Trea] Turner, it's not [Kyle] Schwarber, it's not J.T. [Realmuto], it's not [Zack] Wheeler, [Aaron] Nola. No, their main core of great players is largely going to be the same.
"But when you get to those fringe guys, the last guys in the order, the rotational outfield pieces, the guys you acquired at the deadline, Austin Hays is a perfect example," he added. "This seemed to be like, 'Could you be good? Sure. Do I know if you're going to be good? We haven't seen enough due to injuries, and that sucks.' And it's not anything against the player."
According to Sportrac, Dave Dombrowski presided over the team with the fourth highest payroll in 2024. The Philadelphia Phillies easily clinched the National League East division title after a strong start to the season. However, they faded towards the latter part of the campaign and lost 3-1 against the New York Mets in the Division Series.
Pressure on Dave Dombrowski to deliver World Series for the Phillies
Dave Dombrowski was named as the president of baseball operations by the Philadelphia Phillies at the start of the 2021 season. Having missed out on the playoffs in his first year, the Phillies made a remarkable turnaround in the middle of the 2022 campaign to end an 11-year postseason drought. They made an unlikely run to the World Series, where they eventually lost to the Houston Astros.
The Phillies were one of the favorites for the title in 2023, but they were shocked in the Championship Series by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who were considered to be massive underdogs in the contest. Their expectations were dashed once again this year after a disappointing show against the New York Mets in the Division Series.
Analysts believe the pressure is mounting on Dave Dombrowski and this superstar-laden Phillies team to clinch the ultimate prize in the MLB. Dombrowski has lifted the World Series on two occasions during his time with the Florida Marlins and the Boston Red Sox.