by Cameron Moore (8th)

This is not the way I thought it could end. It can’t be.

Unfortunately, it is the way it is. One of the most crushing losses in recent Phillies memory is very likely the end of a great baseball era in the City of Brotherly Love. There’s a lot of questions that have yet to be answered, and a lot of hard decisions are on the back of the Phillies’ president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. I’ll break down the history of this core, and why this happened, how it happened, and what is likely next for the Phillies organization.

Let’s start by breaking down the past three years. Prior to the 2022 season, the Phillies signed Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber and Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos to huge contracts. Alongside existing Phillies such as Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Rhys Hoskins, and J.T. Realmuto, this team had a shot to be competitive. However, they struggled to begin the season, leading to the firing of manager Joe Girardi and the promotion of bench coach Rob Thomson as then-interim manager.

The Phillies would get hot in June and ride that momentum throughout the year, sneaking into the expanded playoffs as the NL’s 6-seed. They performed an upset sweep against the St. Louis Cardinals in the best-of-3 Wild Card series, then upset the Braves 3-1 in the NLDS, and defeated the San Diego Padres 4-1 in the NLCS to win their first pennant since 2009. While they would eventually lose to the Houston Astros in the World Series, they showed they were a contender.

They were back the next year, sweeping the Marlins out of Philly in the Wild Card and defeating the Braves again in the NLDS, but their offense--and bullpen--would stall in the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2024, they got a bye into the NLDS, where the offense would stall again against their division rival New York Mets.

This year, the recurring theme was back. They got a bye into the NLDS again, where against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the offense would stall again, making incredible starts from the likes of Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo useless. The Phillies would lose the series in game 4 in heartbreaking fashion, where a panicked throw home from reliever Orion Kerkering would go off-target, allowing the Dodgers to walk it off.

The Phillies are saddened as a team, not only from the loss, but the simple fact that their lineup will very likely be different next season. Schwarber, who led the National League in home runs this season, will be a free agent, as will veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto, who has been one of the best catchers in baseball ever since coming over from the Marlins a few seasons ago. Pitcher Ranger Suarez, who signed with the team at 16, has been a primary starter in the rotation, and who closed out the 2022 pennant win, will also be a free agent.

The latter has highly expressed interest in staying with the organization. However, Suarez may be an afterthought, as the Phillies already have a strong rotation  and promising pitching prospects like Andrew Painter, who is now nearly fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery.

Realmuto and Schwarber have decided to reserve contract mentions for the off-season, but it is clear they want to stay. This makes a complicated situation, because it is unlikely that all three will come back, whether they like it or not.

There is also a question about managerial duties. Is Thomson done? Maybe. I questioned many of his decisions, and I know I’m not alone in that boat. He has made some very questionable decisions out of the bullpen, starting lineups, pinch hitters, etc. Despite having the NL’s second-best regular season record and decisively winning their division over the folding Mets (that’s a whole different dumpster fire), you may think he’ll be back next year. But, truthfully, anything is possible.

This also comes at a concern of age. The Phillies core has grown old. Wheeler is 35. Realmuto, if he stays, is 34. Harper is turning 33 soon. Top Phillies reliever Matt Strahm will be 34. The majority of the Phillies’ current core is over the age of 30, and time is running out.

And, if it’s not running out, it’s already too late. The Phillies may continue to be competitive, but don’t be surprised to see them disappoint next season once again.