The Philadelphia Phillies were one of the best teams in baseball throughout the 2024 regular season. But, their stay in the playoffs was not a very long one.
They ran into the buzzsaw known as the New York Mets in the NLDS. Their National League East rivals disposed of them in four games, which has raised some eyebrows in the City of Brotherly Love.
After advancing to the World Series in 2022, the team has followed with two incredibly disappointing postseason appearances.
In 2023, they were on the precipice of another pennant, up 3-2 against the Arizona Diamondbacks returning home for two games. They would lose both and get eliminated. This year, they didn’t even make the NLCS.
There are some who believe that this core’s championship window is already beginning to close. Catcher J.T. Realmuto and ace Zack Wheeler will both be 34 when the 2025 season begins.
Nick Castellanos will be 33. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are both going to be 32, while Trea Turner and Aaron Nola will be 31.
There is some high-upside help on the way with star prospects such as starting pitcher Andrew Painter, infielder Aidan Miller and outfielder Justin Crawford knocking on the door of The Show.
But, with so many core players in the backend of their prime or already out of it, Jeff Passan of ESPN doesn’t believe it to be an overreaction that their title window is closing.
“The Phillies need some changes, and teams loaded with pricey, aging veterans are often the most difficult ones to change. This is not to suggest the Phillies would be better without Harper or Wheeler or Schwarber or Turner or Nola. On the contrary, they were — and will be — the heart of this team.
But when a team is loaded with players in their 30s, the precipice of the cliff is nearer than it might seem. The Phillies recognize that, and the winter ahead will reflect it,” the MLB insider wrote.
Given how successful the team was in the regular season, it is clear that they can still make noise in the NL. But, they need to begin preparations for life after this current core.
We will see what those plans could be this winter and in Spring Training next February and March.
If the right kind of offer came along for some of their key players, the front office should think long and hard about pulling the trigger.
