Now that Don Mattingly is in place on a two-year contract, the Phillies can finally shift from hiring mode to roster-building mode, and the bullpen is sitting near the top of the list.
That relief group has been a problem for years, especially when the games have mattered most in the postseason. The 2026 version didn’t even make it to October before cracking, with multiple regular-season blowups helping drag down what turned into an underwhelming year.
Even so, the Phillies are not starting from zero. Team president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the club already likes several arms in the mix.
“We do like (Jonathan) Bowlan and (Alex) McFarlane a great deal,” Dombrowski said, via Matt Gelb and Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic (subscription required). “I know a lot of people like them because they call me about them.
And (Caleb) Kilian, we like. So we do have a good foundation with the closer that we have.
We need some improvement from the left-handed side, although we’re very happy to have Tim Mayza back.”
That gives Philadelphia four right-handers and one left-hander in place before the winter really gets going. Jhoan Duran, fresh off the first All-Star nod of his career, is set as the closer.
Bowlan gave the Phillies quality work in 2026 before fading late and running into an injury. McFarlane, a rookie with plenty of upside, looks like a real candidate to grow into a setup role. Kilian, who came over from the San Francisco Giants in the deadline deal that also brought Luis Arraez, ended up on the injured list.
Mayza is already back in the fold after agreeing to a one-year deal, but he stands alone as the only lefty on the roster right now.
There are other names worth watching. Tanner Banks should get a shot to show whether he can get back to the form he flashed in 2025. Meanwhile, Jose Alvarado and Brooks Raley, acquired from the New York Mets at the deadline, are both free agents and look unlikely to return.
The left-handed market isn’t loaded, but there are still options. Adrian Morejon of the San Diego Padres sits near the top of the list. The Phillies could also weigh reunions with Matt Strahm, Gregory Soto, or JoJo Romero.
Caleb Ferguson and Danny Coulombe bring recent success and probably wouldn’t require a major financial commitment, while Taylor Rogers and A.J. Minter are additional names the club could pursue.
Philadelphia should have room to spend, with money coming off the books. The wildcard is the looming lockout, which creates uncertainty about what kind of rules teams will be working under.
In Other News...
Phillies May Need Their Boldest Pitching Gamble Yet
Tarik Skubal is already looking like one of the biggest names who could reach the market for 2027, and that naturally puts the Phillies in the conversation. With a rotation built to win now and a front office that has shown a willingness to chase premium talent, Philadelphia would be a logical suitor if Skubal gets anywhere near free agency. His recent performance has only sharpened the appeal, and it also helps explain why his eventual price tag could become one of the defining talking points of the next offseason.
For the Phillies, the question is less about interest than about appetite. They have the financial flexibility to chase a major contract, but landing a pitcher of Skubals caliber would still require a bold commitment and a level of risk that comes with betting on an ace at the top of the market. If the organization decides to make that push, it would say plenty about how aggressively it intends to keep its title window wide open. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Had A Familiar Favorite Seriously In Play For Manager
The Phillies search for their next manager briefly reached into some familiar corners of the franchises past, with the club reportedly checking in on former players Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez before settling on a different direction. Both names carried obvious weight in Philadelphia, especially for a fan base that still gravitates toward the kind of baseball people who understand the city and the clubhouse culture. In the end, though, neither man moved forward in the process, and the job went to Don Mattingly as the clubs permanent manager for the upcoming season.
Ibanez, in particular, apparently spent a few days weighing the possibility before choosing to stay put with the Dodgers in his current front office role. It adds another layer to what was already an interesting search for the Phillies, who at least explored the idea of turning to a beloved former player before landing on Mattingly. For a team trying to steady itself and move into a new season with a clear voice at the top, the fact that two ex-Phillies were seriously in play says plenty about how the organization viewed the opening. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Infield Questions Could Define How This Offseason Unfolds
The Phillies are heading into an offseason that could shape the next phase of their roster as much as any outside move. After an early postseason exit, the organization is leaning toward a familiar theme with a new urgency: get younger, create more flexibility, and see which internal options can help narrow the gap. Aidan Miller is one of the names to watch in that conversation, and after getting past a back injury, he gives the club another layer of versatility to consider as it maps out the winter.
Philadelphias approach is complicated by uncertainty around the upcoming collective bargaining agreement, which makes the timing and scope of any broader roster overhaul harder to read. For now, the Phillies appear prepared to let their farm system play a bigger role in the conversation, with young players expected to get more attention as the team looks for improvement from within. How quickly those pieces can be trusted, and where they fit best, may end up defining the infield discussion all offseason long. [Read more 🡒]