Matt Higgins
The Philadelphia Phillies are staring at the abyss of another long offseason as they head to Los Angeles down 2-0 in the National League Division Series against the Dodgers. But this time feels different, as changes are expected if the Phillies are bounced early in October again.
The Phillies have never fully recovered after blowing the 2023 National League Championship Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In their last 11 postseason games, the Phillies are 2-9, including 1-5 at home. A team that went to the World Series in 2022 has regressed since and now is on the verge of getting swept by the Dodgers.
The offense has been abysmal. The top of the order in Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper have gone a combined 2-for-21 with 11 strikeouts. The bullpen has imploded as David Robertson, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm have failed to get critical outs. And manager Rob Thomson has made several questionable decisions, including having Bryson Stott bunt in the bottom of the ninth with no outs and a slow Nick Castellanos on second after the Phillies plated three runs to cut LA’s lead to 4-3. The sacrifice failed as Castellanos was thrown out at third. Max Kepler grounded into a fielder’s choice and Turner grounded out to second to end the game.
Changes Could Start With Manager
But as the front office has stuck with the same lineup despite the playoff failures, this time feels different. On the “Fair Territory” podcast, The Athletic’s MLB senior writer Ken Rosenthal believes there will be changes, and they could start with the manager.
“When the series ends at some point and the Phillies end up losing, there are going to be a whole lot of questions about the future of this team, how they’re going to go forward,” Rosenthal said.
“Schwarber and Realmuto are free agents. You would think the Phillies want them back, they don’t have obvious internal replacements. Rob Thomson as manager, I would say he has done a good job. He is not the problem. But I would expect, if the Phillies go out, there would be some kind of change.”
"It's hard to imagine them winning this series."@Ken_Rosenthal expects some change on the horizon if the Phillies get bounced early.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 7, 2025
Could it start with Rob Thomson? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/pylLUk5eMq
Since Thomson took over for Joe Girardi in the middle of 2022, he has led the Phillies to the playoffs every year, has improved the Phillies’ regular-season record each season and won back-to-back National League East titles. But with the same issues plaguing the Phillies for three consecutive postseasons, a change in the dugout may need to be made.
On top of the Schwarber and Realmuto decisions, the Phillies will need to address their outfield situation and rotation depth with Zack Wheeler’s health uncertain and Ranger Suarez a free agent. They also need to fix their bullpen issues to get the ball consistently to elite closer Jhoan Duran in the ninth inning.
This current Phillies core is coming to an end after a four-year run. And it could all come to a close Wednesday if the Dodgers complete the sweep.
