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Dave Dombrowski sends ‘dogfight’ warning to Phillies

Originally posted on MLB on ClutchPoints
By Zachary Howell | Last updated May 28, 2025 4:23 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies got a day off on Wednesday due to the weather. They will wrap up their second series against the Atlanta Braves in a double header on Thursday. After an injury scare to Bryce Harper, the Phillies needed a day off. Even though they a lead in the National League East, their president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, sent a message.

The NL East is notorious for being a tight race between the Phillies, Braves, and New York Mets. Dombrowski has been around to see many seasons come down to the last few games. A slow start from the Braves and another underwhelming season from the Washington Nationals have them behind in the standings. However, Dombrowski is not ready to declare his team the clear favorite in the division just yet.

Dombrowski shared his thoughts on the division with New York Post writer Jon Heyman. He agreed that the division will be a battle all season. He broke down how he views each team, starting with the Mets. After key offseason moves by New York, they are right behind the Phillies in the standings.

Phillies honcho Dave Dombrowski sizes up NL East dogfight here. DD also talks Harper, Schwarber, Wheeler, Nola, Painter, more. Joel and I agree on which NY team we’d take today

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— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) May 28, 2025

“They continue to be a quality club, and we need to play better against the Mets, we haven’t done that over the last couple of years, but I think we can,” Dombrowski said. “And the Braves, they started 0-7, if you take that away, they’re above .500….they have a quality ball club, and they’re going to be there at the end. I don’t think Washington is ready to compete for a championship yet, but they have a lot of good, young players on their team….you know it’s going to be a dogfight.”

While the regular season might be a challenge for the Phillies and their divisional rivals, it has shown results. The top three teams all made it into the postseason last year. The Mets got to the NLCS after beating the Phillies in four games in the NLDS.

It figures to be another close finish in one of Major League Baseball’s most competitive divisions. Dombrowski just helped to make sure that his team knows that their fight will last the rest of the season as they vie for a top playoff spot.

This article first appeared on MLB on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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