Phillies President Will Be Under Pressure This Summer To Make Upgrades

The Philadelphia Phillies have bounced back from a bad stretch of baseball and will now try to chase down the New York Mets once again in the National League East.

Even though the Phillies have one of the best records in baseball, there are some notable flaws on the team as of now.

This winter, Philadelphia tried to address some of their shortcomings with the additions of Max Kepler in the outfield and Jordan Romano for the bullpen. Unfortunately, neither move has been great as of now, and the issues that plagued the Phillies in the NLDS remain.

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With the summer and the MLB trade deadline coming up quickly, Philadelphia will likely be aggressive as a contender once again this year.

The window of opportunity feels like it is now for the Phillies, and the team must make some upgrades if they wish to be a contender.

Buster Olney of ESPN recently wrote about Phillies President Dave Dombrowski being under a lot of pressure heading into this summer.

“The Phillies need bullpen help, just as they did last season, and Dombrowski will need to augment that group before the deadline.”

Philadelphia has been very successful in the last three campaigns, but ultimately haven’t won. In fact, after reaching the World Series in 2022, they have seen their seasons come to an end earlier and earlier the last two years.

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This is a franchise that spends a lot of money and rightfully has high expectations. While making the playoffs is great for most teams, the Phillies want to be competing for a World Series.

With expectations being so high, this is a crucial summer for Dombrowski. There are a couple of clear needs for the team to address and some aging stars in the lineup.

Both Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto are in the final season of their contracts, making 2025 potentially the last year with the current core.

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While the starting rotation has some promising young arms for the future, the lineup could use a facelift. Furthermore, the bullpen is also going to likely be the most pressing need for the franchise once again.

With Jose Alvarado not being able to pitch in the postseason, the Phillies would be wise to add a talented high-leverage arm for the unit.

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Overall, Dombrowski has helped build a very strong team in Philadelphia, but work needs to be done. He has never been shy about being aggressive at the trade deadline, and this campaign should be no different.

For more Phillies news, head over to Phillies On SI.