In what might be the most pivotal offseason for this current iteration, the team braces for another monster offseason with Dombrowski at the helm
Dave Dombrowski & Trades
We are starting the hot stove blogs with potential trades that appear to be the most realistic path the Phillies will go down to shake things up. Piles of money in a largely weak free-agent class outside of Juan Soto leave this team in a space where it finally might be time to start wheeling and dealing. In this regard, Dave Dombrowski certainly knows how to get things done. His long and distinguished career has seen Dombrowski led teams to acquire the likes of Gary Sheffield, Mike Piazza, Miguel Cabrera, Max Scherzer, Ian Kinsler, Yoenis Cespedes, David Price, and Chris Sale. Swinging for the fence and hitting HRs on trades is what has in part elevated Dombrowski to a Hall of Fame level executive and there was a certain expectation that he was brought here to do exactly that.
The Phillies under Dave Dombrowski have not been the riverboat gamblers you would have expected. They still have spent boatloads bringing in the likes of Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, and unfortunately Taijuan Walker, as well as made important extensions happen for JT Realmuto, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and most recently Christopher Sanchez. He also has found some real value in guys like Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm. However, he has been largely quiet in the trade department, with maybe his most impactful trade being his first when he landed Jose Alvarado for largely nothing from the Rays. Outside of that, there have been a lot of deadline acquisitions that have ranged from the absolutely pitiful to below average at best. None of them have burned the Phillies for what they gave up, but they just have gotten nothing from them. As a matter of fact Dombrowski appears to be doing a tremendous job at building the franchise up from within. The structure of the Phillies as an organization has dramatically improved under him seeing their biggest gains in scouting and development, potentially ever. More names than can be listed in this article have come along and are currently or will soon be valuable contributors. That being said, the on-the-field product appears to have reached a dead end and Dave will soon get to do what he does best, cook.
Who is on the trading block?
Alec Bohm
The first and most expected name on Dave Dombrowski’s list: it sounds like there is a very good chance that Bohm might be out of town. Bohm had an explosive first half that landed him in the All-Star Game but had a rough second half. He is a beloved member of the team and is one of the few guys who regularly puts the ball in play. He has grown every year at the major league level. However, he appears to be at his ceiling and the ceiling is quite good, but not a superstar. He is also, at times, overly emotional and during the playoffs was even benched for a game which is very alarming when Rob Thomson benches you. Bohm is also hitting free agency after 2026 and the Phillies have not seem to make signing him a priority. Their top prospect, Aiden Miller, while maybe another year or so away is a guy they could see taking over at 3B. Bohm is a top ten 3B who is only 28 and under team control for another 2 seasons. He is coming off the best season of his career. Also while this doesn’t matter as much, he is also incredibly popular at the national level getting the 3rd most votes in the All-Star game, even more than Shohei Ohtani. So why trade Bohm? There really aren’t many good 3B in this league and losing him would kind of highlight just how shallow the position is as the Phillies attempt to replace him. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you view it, Bohm is probably the guy on the Phillies who is the most tradeable. He has tangible value; a proven major leaguer at a difficult position to find quality, who still is under team control and has been a key contributor to a contender for the last three years. He could net you real value without depleting your farm system all that much.
Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh, & Ranger Suarez
Other names that could be on Dave Dombrowski’s list would include the less likely candidates of Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh. Nick because of his contract and Brandon because of a lack of value I don’t think get moved unless they’re a part of another deal. Ranger Suarez, at least to this writer, has a real chance of being somewhere else. He is a free agent after 2025 and on a team where money has been tossed to any and everyone, it feels like an intentional decision to let Ranger hit free agency. They let Nola hit free agency too, but when they extended Christopher Sanchez last season and nothing happened with Suarez, that too felt intentional. Suarez could be of substantial value in a league with a huge lack of starting pitchers. He is a postseason icon still on the right side of 30 and has been a solid MLB starting pitcher for four straight MLB seasons culminating with an All-Star appearance this year. The hang-up with him has been his health. He has not made it through a full MLB season, missing time every year for injuries that have dampened performance. With that in mind, giving him a large extension might not be wise, especially with the Phillies already having the strength they have in their SPs.
Potential Players to Acquire
Garrett Crochet
The Phillies already have the best starting pitching in baseball, so why has Dave Dombrowski’s white whale for the past year been a young White Sox’ pitcher? Crochet really does appear to be the next big thing. According to Baseball Reference, in 219 MLB innings, he has 294ks with an era of 3.29. In 2024 he struck out 209 batters in only 146 innings. When it comes to fWAR only Chris Sale was more valuable per inning pitched last year than Crochet. On top of that Crochet is only 25 and has team control through 2027. Crochet is flourishing on a team where talent goes to die, so they probably see a guy who can hop in the Caleb Cotham machine and become a top-five MLB pitcher. Wheeler will be 35 in May and Nola will be 32 in June. The stalwarts of the rotation are getting older and Dave sees a path to add the next generation of aces to the rotation. Andrew Painter is ready to go, so sliding your two aces out in 3 years for 2 new aces, who would both be under 28 at the time, would be huge. The move screams Dombrowski too–he has always valued front-end hosses, including adding the likes of Sale, Price, and Scherzer to already dominant rotations. A move that makes the 2025 and future rosters better would be a great deal. The biggest criticism for Crochet is that he’s a bit of an unknown and injury risk. So what does it cost? Over the summer it was reported the White Sox wanted Andrew Painter and/or Aiden Miller which is a no-go, but a new report has come out that a deal centered around Alec Bohm and prospect CF Justin Crawford might be enough. If that is enough, while it personally pains me, there is absolutely no reason to not do this deal and figure out 3B after. Side note don’t be shocked if Dave finds a way to include Luis Robert Jr in the deal.
Royce Lewis
I am admittedly stealing this from the podcast “Hittin’ Season” as it was suggested by a fan email. Royce would be a perfect fit for Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies, as he has the upside of an all-star 3B and while his floor might be a little lower than Bohm’s his ceiling at the moment appears much higher. He had some unbelievable playoff moments already and injuries have been the only thing to limit him. The Twins have a dearth of infielders and a need for pitching. This could be a potential landing spot for Ranger. You may not have to give up that much outside of him either. It fits the mold of creativity and uniqueness that Dave Dombrowski might be looking for.
Ryan Helsey
There might be a handful of expected and unexpected teams willing to deal this offseason. The Cardinals appear to be in a rebuild and Dave Dombrowski could look into landing the Phillies elite closer Ryan Helsey. There are some spare parts on that roster that could be turned into valuable contributors on another squad as well.
Bryan Reynolds and David Bednar
Another NL Central team is the Pirates. The price might finally be right to go after CF Bryan Reynolds as he would fill such a substantial need of the Phillies. Dave Dombrowski could also buy low on David Bednar who until this year was one of the five or so best relievers in the game. The Pirates might finally have something cooking, however, they are also cheap and wouldn’t ever turn away financial relief in exchange for young and controllable players.
Royals Relievers
The Royals were a potential candidate, but they might be quieter after Brady Singer (who I wanted) got traded last week for Jonathan India. They have a handful of interesting relievers in Daniel Lynch, Kris Bubic, or Lucas Erceg that would be fun for Cotham to get a hold of.
Devin Williams
Williams of the Brewers has been a monster out of the pen too and with the Brewers losing Willy Adames this offseason and Williams being a free agent after next season, a trade centered around Alec Bohm could be on the table. Brewers get their middle-of-the-order infielder in return for a player they were going to lose in free agency anyway and Dave Dombrowski lands an elite closer.
Brent Rooker
He’s a right-handed power bat that they can plug into LF coming off what was legitimately an impressive season. He had 39 home runs playing in the cavernous Oakland Coliseum and he was a guy the Phillies kicked the tires on in July. The only limitation might be an astronomical asking price as the A’s wanted a ton over the summer. His defense is very bad and he strikes out a ton, but that is something the Phillies are used to.
Adolis Garcia
A right-handed outfielder who hits for power and strikes out a ton is another perfect match for the Phillies and could be on Dave Dombrowski’s list. Maybe they just steer into the skid and go all power and strikeouts? Adolis would be a huge bat with a championship pedigree to add to the lineup. The Rangers are probably trying to reset and would be willing to move Garcia.
The Mariners
Just get Jerry Dipoto on the phone and you probably can get something of value from him. The Mariners have a roster dotted with some talented players who certainly could be of help and a GM who never stops making moves even at his team’s own expense.
The Phillies and Dave Dombrowski certainly have their work cut out for them and the avenue of trades will certainly be the route they probably make the biggest changes with this offseason. The Phillies will not look totally different, but there will be some sort of noticeable rest of the roster. The Phillies are stocked and ready to go with one of the best trading GMs in league history.
What do you think Dave Dombrowski does with trades this off-season? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok!
