As the Phillies head into the winter, they are going to be in fairly good shape with much of their core intact. Philadelphia looked like a team that easily could have won the World Series coming into the 2024 postseason, but a few areas that were a little concerning during the regular season, ended up being a big issue in the playoffs.
Against the New York Mets, the Phillies’ bullpen regressed quite a bit, and their lineup looked much shorter than it should have due to ineffective play at the plate from most of their outfielders.
With a good offseason, Philadelphia should be right back in contention next season, but if they are going to win a ring, some improvements must be made.
Here are the three top priorities for the Phillies this offseason.
5th Starter
While the fifth starter wasn’t an issue for Philadelphia in the playoffs, it was a big one in the regular season. Taijuan Walker was slated to have a prominent role after signing an extension with the team, but he had a ton of regression, and a terrible year.
In 2024, Walker totaled a 3-7 record, 7.10 ERA, and 1.70 WHIP. It was easily the worst campaign of his career, and now the Phillies need to figure out what to do with an under-performing player who is signed through the 2026 season.
There is certainly a chance Walker will be in the starting rotation. However, it would make sense to pursue perhaps a cheap veteran who is looking to come in and compete.
Star Relief Pitcher
In 2024, the bullpen for Philadelphia looked like it was going to be the strength of the team. During the regular season, the unit was excellent for the Phillies, but they really let the team down in the postseason once again.
This offseason, Philadelphia will have a few key members of the bullpen hitting free agency in Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez. While their futures with the team are uncertain, the Phillies could use a star reliever at the back of the bullpen to lean on and close out games.
Outfield Help
An area of concern coming into the playoffs that was really highlighted in the loss to the Mets was the poor play on offense of most of their outfield. Besides Nick Castellanos, who had an excellent series, the Phillies barely got a hit from the rest of the players who played in the outfield.
That is something that simply cannot happen again, as adding at least one more good bat in the outfield is arguably the most pressing need for Philadelphia this offseason.
