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| Dave Dombrowski has some work ahead of him as the lockout looms. | CREDIT: Peter Sanford |
The Phillies have two clocks working against them this winter. One is attached to baseball's labor calendar. The other is attached to a roster that keeps getting older without getting any closer to a parade.
The collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1. A lockout could follow Dec. 2, freezing major-league transactions and team contact with players. That gives Dave Dombrowski a little more than two weeks to get something meaningful accomplished before baseball potentially closes for business.
But what, exactly, should he accomplish?
The Phillies won 88 games in 2026, reached October for the fifth consecutive season and went home after three wild-card games against Atlanta. It wasn't a disaster. It was something more frustrating: another demonstration that an expensive roster can be good enough to get there without being complete enough to go further.
So forget the idea of winning the offseason in November. The task is simpler, and harder: identify the moves that would actually change the equation.
Start in right field.
The Phillies' outfielders combined for a .686 OPS in 2026, 26th in the majors. Their cleanup hitters managed a .645 OPS, 29th. Those aren't decorative statistics. They describe a lineup asking Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber to supply too much of the damage.
Dombrowski acknowledged the obvious at the general managers meetings this week: "We have to have an outfielder."
Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena would provide established right-handed offense, but both are entering their age-32 seasons, and projections put their next contracts near nine figures. That is a substantial commitment for an organization already carrying considerable money in veteran players.
Then there is Teruaki Sato.
The 27-year-old Japanese slugger, whom MLB.com reports has drawn Philadelphia's interest, offers a different proposition: younger, powerful, intriguing — and unproven against major-league pitching. He has played primarily third base, and projecting him into a corner-outfield job introduces another question. He also bats left-handed, hardly an ideal way to diversify a lineup built around Harper and Schwarber.
None is a perfect answer. That's why the Phillies should weigh trades as seriously as free agency. What they cannot do is settle for another corner-outfield placeholder and hope the supporting cast somehow performs differently this time.
Next, build a bullpen that can actually reach Jhoan Duran.
Duran saved 33 games with a 1.82 ERA last season. Yet a dominant ninth inning means less if the seventh and eighth are spent trying to survive.
Tim Mayza is back. Alex McFarlane and Jonathan Bowlan offer promise from the right side. But José Alvarado is a free agent, Brad Keller is recovering from major elbow surgery, and Dombrowski has made another dependable left-hander a priority.
That should be actionable before a shutdown. The Phillies do not need to spend closer money on another closer. They need a reliever Don Mattingly trusts with two runners aboard and the opponent's best left-handed hitter coming up.
Think about the division: Juan Soto, Matt Olson and James Wood. A matchup arm here is not a luxury. It is part of building a bullpen for the teams Philadelphia actually has to beat.
Then resist the temptation to fill every infield opening with a veteran.
Alec Bohm and Luis Arraez are free agents. Bryson Stott's position remains movable, and the club wants Trea Turner to improve defensively at shortstop. Aidan Miller, meanwhile, has a legitimate opportunity to win a starting job next spring.
That is not a reason to hand Miller a job in November. It is a reason to avoid blocking him with an unnecessary multiyear contract.
The reported interest in Ha-Seong Kim makes sense here. A versatile infielder who can cover shortstop provides insurance against several scenarios without requiring the club to decide Miller's future before he reports to camp. The price and years, however, must fit the role.
There are quieter moves worth making, too: rotation insurance behind Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter; catching depth to reduce J.T. Realmuto's workload; and smart roster decisions before the Nov. 20 tender deadline.
But those are supporting moves, not the central act.
And that distinction matters because a potential lockout creates two different kinds of urgency. Teams can hurry into bad contracts because they fear losing the opportunity to act. Or they can use the calendar to force decisions on needs they have discussed for months.
The Phillies should choose the second approach.
Make a serious push for an impact outfielder. Secure a credible late-inning left-hander. Establish an infield contingency that preserves Miller's opportunity. Keep the rotation intact rather than creating one expensive problem to solve another.
If the market refuses to cooperate before Dec. 2, there will eventually be another window to operate. A lockout is not the end of the offseason.
But the Phillies should not mistake that possibility for an excuse to wait.
They have already spent five Octobers learning what this roster can do. The next two weeks are an opportunity to show they have learned what it cannot.
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