The Philadelphia Phillies have been just as awful as the New York Mets. Only without the 11-game losing skid. Additionally, the Phillies’ roster has real flaws that could ruin their season. Along with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber, they don’t have another reliable batter. According to The Athletic, their team batting average of.220 is the lowest it has been through 22 games since 1970, and only four Phillies teams have had a lower batting average over the previous 128 years.
In Philadelphia, there has already been significant unrest due to supporters booing and leaving games early. John Middleton, the team’s owner, has undoubtedly taken notice.
The Phillies don’t want to use their ready-made Rob Thomson successor,
The Phillies don’t want to use their ready-made Rob Thomson successor, and Middleton is well aware of the opinions of the media and the Philadelphia fan base. This run, which includes an 8-14 record and a six-game losing skid, is sufficient to rekindle the rumors that manager Rob Thomson should be fired. They’ll want to give Thomson and the offense in particular some time to work things out, as there are no signs that he is under pressure.
If Thomson is fired, the Phillies do have an obvious internal candidate. Don Mattingly, a well-liked former manager and bench coach, would be instantly respected.
However, Thomson is thought to be safe, at least for the time being, and both Thomson and Mattingly will be responsible for resolving the Phillies’ problems.
Furthermore, it is rarely successful to fire a manager in the middle of the season. It has the potential to worsen an already chaotic situation, particularly in Philadelphia. Zack Wheeler, their undisputed ace, is scheduled to return and make his season debut on Friday, which should help calm things down.
The Phillies suffered a setback after losing the fight to sign Bo Bichette.
However, the Phillies need offense—and fast—and it’s obvious that they didn’t add enough firepower during the winter. The organization thought they were going to sign Bo Bichette to a contract for more than $200 million in the winter. It was so close that the previous evening, just minutes after the Kyle Tucker deal was broken, I got a tip that the Bichette/Phillies trade was nearing completion, and I prepared a tweet for when a deal was finally completed.
Naturally, no deal was ever finalized because the New York Mets signed Bichette to a $126 million, three-year contract at the last minute. The Phillies had few options after that. J.T. Realmuto was hurriedly re-signed to a three-year deal. Harrison Bader, a player that blended in well with Philadelphia, left on a multi-year contract to San Francisco, while they signed Adolis Garcia.
Twenty-two games into the season, the lack of another bat is much more apparent than it was at the beginning. Dave Dombrowski must be aggressive in acquiring a bat or two at the trade deadline in order to turn the season around, as he has demonstrated throughout his Hall of Fame career.
And in order to salvage their season, the Phillies will need his best effort before the deadline.
Just 22 games into the season, they are bold statements. However, the Phillies’ ability to qualify for the postseason and Thomson’s continued employment may ultimately depend on reinforcements, particularly big ones. A firesale is the last thing he needs.
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