After winning their division last year, the Phillies spent $281 million just to keep the same team. It backfired. Now they’re in last place, riding an 8-game losing streak, and desperate for a big hitter. The blame is falling squarely on team president Dave Dombrowski.
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“Making Felix Reyes your number four hitter is an indictment of Dave Dombrowski… We don’t really have a number four hitter yet,” Phillies insider John Stolnis shared via Hittin Season.
“We knew this during the offseason when you decided Alec Bohm was good enough to be that guy, or when you thought Adolis Garcia was going to be good enough to be that guy. The fact that the Phillies don’t really have a number four hitter is on you. Dave Dombrowski.”
The problem with the Phillies’ offense started after they signed Adolis Garcia and Alec Bohm for 1 year. Both were expected to take up the cleanup roles, but failed miserably. In the first 11 games as No. 4, Bohm hit just .186/.271/.279 with 1 homer and 8 RBIs. In contrast, Garcia batted just .185/.313/.259 in 32 plate appearances.
The Phillies are in full-on desperation mode. Yes, losing 8 in a row will do that, but it's clear this off-season's plan for 2026 is shaping up to be an utter disaster. How else do you explain Felix Reyes as the No. 4 hitter for a $300 million payroll? My latest Hittin' Season, Show more
The Phillies manager was even forced to bench Garcia from Thursday’s game against the Cubs.
So, Stolnis wonders if the Phillies could still have their hands on Bo Bichette and Eugenio Suarez or even Cody Bellinger in the offseason, but Dombrowski wasn’t that desperate. Now, with both Bohm and Garcia struggling, even Dombrowski is admitting his team has a massive hole.
“You really don’t have a No. 4 hitter at this time,” Dombrowski said. To try and fix the problem, the Phillies called up 25-year-old rookie Felix Reyes.
“There’s no harm trying Reyes because he’s going to get in there and he’s going to give you a good at-bat and do everything that he can to drive the ball somewhere,” Dombrowski added. A team with around $300 million payroll is calling up a prospect to take up the cleanup role, proving how poor their offseason was.
The Phillies’ OG cleanup hitter, Bryce Harper, is hitting .261. He couldn’t score or manage a hit from his 4 at-bats on Wednesday. Schwarber is better as DH now. So, who’s left? Someone like Reyes. While Reyes proved himself by hitting a homer in his first at-bat in MLB, the team’s lack of power-hitting is evident. They are ranked 29th in terms of batting average (.220) and 19th in terms of scoring home runs (24).
However, the Phillies might just have started shaping up their roster.
The Phillies continue to shake up the roster
Garcia, after his struggle this season, is benched. But the Phillies took a much harder stance with their pitching staff, officially cutting ties with veteran Taijuan Walker.
Walker was struggling with a 9.13 ERA, and he was worse against the Cubs on Wednesday, allowing 4 ERs with 1 SO in his 4 innings. This season, Walker has allowed 12 hits, 3 HRs, and 5 walks, and has only recorded 6 SOs in the 1st inning. The Phillies finally had enough. They released Walker on Thursday morning, marking a significant roster adjustment.
However, it means the Phillies still need to pay Walker’s remaining balance from his $72 million contract. With that, the Phillies now have around $35 million in dead money this year. This includes $19.22 million for Nick Castellanos.
While Zack Wheeler’s return from injury is nearing, releasing Walker still poses the question of who would take the immediate duty from here on. Nestor Cortes could be a good option, who is still available in free agency. Although he could play only 8 games last year due to injuries, his last full season went well in 2024, securing a 3.77 ERA in 31 appearances.
So, landing Cortes now could help Dombrowski to make up for the loss the team made during the offseason, albeit in a small way. But just as the Phillies are making moves, fans could hope for them to snap the losing streak soon.
