The Phillies are heading into the winter with a familiar mix of frustration and uncertainty, but one piece of the front office picture appears close to getting cleared up. Dave Dombrowski, who is under contract through 2027, is expected to land an extension from managing partner John Middleton in the coming weeks, according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.
That news all but shuts the door on speculation that the club might move on from its president of baseball operations after another disappointing finish. Instead, Dombrowski looks poised to remain in charge for a few more seasons, with a likely eventual handoff to general manager Preston Mattingly. For a fan base that would prefer a different direction, the move still signals that the Phillies intend to keep pressing forward rather than tearing things down.
The bigger problem, as this season made painfully clear, was the offense. The Phillies’ lineup never matched the strength of the rotation, and the numbers tell the story: a .707 team OPS that sat in the bottom third of the league and a .240 batting average that landed in the bottom 10.
Trea Turner didn’t dodge that reality when asked about the team’s offensive struggles. “Me.
It’s that simple.” Turner said.
He added, “I think this year is the biggest question mark for me offensively in a long time. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
The shortstop’s .675 OPS was his worst by far in his age-33 season, and the two-time batting champion owned the slump when the questions came his way.
Elsewhere on the Phillies’ winter to-do list, former reliever Seth Johnson had knee surgery on Monday. Johnson, who was dealt from the Baltimore Orioles to Philadelphia in the 2024 Gregory Soto trade, logged 16 games for the Phillies across the next two seasons before getting a longer look this year. That extended chance didn’t go well: he was tagged for a 5.51 ERA in 16 ⅓ innings before being sent to the lowly Athletics at the trade deadline for depth outfielder Colby Thomas.
Johnson’s time in Sacramento wasn’t much kinder. He appeared in 12 games for the A’s and posted a 6.23 ERA before the surgery news surfaced.
In Other News...
Phillies Could Sacrifice Core Pieces To Fix A Familiar Problem
The Phillies are heading into another one of those winters where the roster looks good enough to contend, yet still leaves just enough room for uncomfortable questions. With arbitration decisions looming, Philadelphia has some familiar names to sort through, including All-Star closer Jhoan Duran, Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott, and the front office will have to decide how much of the current core it wants to keep intact while still creating room to maneuver.
Duran is expected to stay put, but Marsh and Stott are the kinds of controllable pieces that can draw interest if the Phillies decide payroll flexibility matters more than continuity. Moving either one would not just be about subtraction, either. It would be part of a broader attempt to reshape the roster and chase upgrades in other spots, a reminder that even a contender can be pushed toward tough choices when the same needs keep surfacing each offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Trade Speculation Keeps Raising One Massive Offseason Question
The Red Sox have never been shy about trying to upgrade through a trade, and that history has helped turn Bryce Harper into a recurring offseason talking point. For the Phillies, that alone is enough to make people pause, because Harper remains one of the most recognizable names in the sport and a central part of what Philadelphia has built around him.
Any talk like this quickly runs into the practical realities that matter most, though. Harpers no-trade protection gives him control over where a discussion even goes, and the money attached to a move would be a major hurdle for any team trying to make it work. For now, the idea lives in the same category as so many winter rumors, a mock proposal more than a roadmap, but it still underscores how closely rival clubs are watching the Phillies core. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Could Be Headed For An Offseason Shakeup Off The Field
The Phillies may be staring at a front-office change before the offseason really gets moving. The Philadelphia Athletics are reportedly weighing Sam Fuld, Philadelphias president of business operations and a former general manager, for their top executive job, putting one of the organizations more visible off-field leaders in the middle of a potentially important hiring cycle.
A decision from the Athletics is expected soon, and the ripple effect could be felt in Philadelphia if Fuld gets the nod. His departure would leave a vacancy in the Phillies front office and add another layer of uncertainty to an organization that could soon be navigating more than just roster questions as it heads into the winter. [Read more 🡒]