Phillies can't ‘run it back' in 2026 after Dodgers repeat

Running it back. Three words Phillies fans are tired of hearing.

The Phils have reached the postseason for four straight years, and for four straight years, they’ve come up short. They shocked everyone with a run to the 2022 World Series, only to fall to the Astros in six games. When a core stays together that long – and produces a similar ending each October – change becomes expected.

Yet 15 players on the 2025 Opening Day roster were also on the 2022 team. It’s a battle-tested group, but the results are stale.

Even after a 96-win season, urgency hangs over the franchise because of one unavoidable obstacle in the National League:

The Dodgers.

Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell – their star power feels endless, especially after winning back-to-back World Series titles.

In 2024, their rotation fell apart with injuries to Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Emmett Sheehan. It didn’t matter. They slugged their way to a championship.

In 2025, the script flipped. This time, the Dodgers were healthy but their bats went cold. Again, it didn’t matter. Yamamoto carried them. He made five postseason starts, threw two complete games – the first pitcher to do that since 2001 – and posted a 1.45 ERA. After throwing 96 pitches in Game 6, he still came out of the bullpen in the Game 7 finale and tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings. World Series MVP was an automatic for the second-year right-hander.

President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski put it bluntly when asked about L.A. at the end-of-season presser:

“The Dodgers have a really good club … We battled them, and I think we’re in the same neighborhood – but we didn’t beat them and we have work to do in order to do that.”

Now, it’s clear. If the Phillies want to win a championship, the path runs directly through Los Angeles – the team that eliminated them in the NLDS this past season.

So how do they change their identity? It’s challenging to pinpoint, but there are a number of options the Phillies could pick from.

Starpower: Ketel Marte

On Monday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Diamondbacks are “motivated” to trade three-time All-Star Ketel Marte.

He’s coming off another elite year in Arizona, slashing .283/.376/.517 with 28 doubles and 28 homers in 126 games. It marked his third straight season with at least 25 home runs, 60 walks and 70 RBIs. The 32-year-old has cemented himself as the best at his position.

The switch-hitting Marte is the kind of hitter who changes a lineup overnight. In 2025, he posted an .891 OPS vs. lefties and .893 vs. righties, offering zero platoon vulnerability. His contract is just as appealing: six years left (player option in 2031), roughly $19 million AAV and only $28 million over the next two seasons.

Trading for him wouldn’t prevent the Phillies from spending elsewhere – including a potential Kyle Schwarber reunion.

He’s performed against the team that matters. Marte has a career .290 average and .804 OPS versus the Dodgers. And over the last two seasons, he’s slashed .321/.418/.560.

He’s also been a standout performer in October. In 21 postseason games, he’s hit .344 with a .974 OPS and 13 extra-base hits.

Acquiring Marte would take real capital. The deal starts with one of Aidan Miller or Andrew Painter plus infielder Bryson Stott, who is under control through 2027. It would be uncomfortable, but it’s a move that could change everything for the Phils.

Shuffle the pieces and add

Bryce Harper has been at the center of conversation this offseason – both for production and for where he plays. Dombrowski made one thing clear after questioning Harper’s “elite” status during his media session: he views Harper as the first baseman going forward.

But if Harper moved back to right field, everything opens up. And if defense is the concern for a 33-year-old Harper in the outfield, the Phillies just played 33-year-old Nick Castellanos out there – who posted a league-low -12 outs above average.

Returning Harper to the outfield gives the Phillies the freedom to chase a middle-of-the-order bat at first base.

Pete Alonso should be the first call.

Alonso tallied 264 homers and 712 RBIs in seven seasons with the Mets. Drop that kind of production behind Harper and pitchers have no escape route. And if the Phillies brought back Schwarber too?

A top four of Trea Turner, Schwarber, Harper and Alonso truly gives you a solid chance against Los Angeles in a playoff series.

The championship window isn’t closed – but it’s not open forever. If the Phillies want to win with this core, adding another star or two to Harper and Turner is how you do it.

Lean into the youth

Miller, Justin Crawford and Painter could push their way to the majors in 2026 and the Phillies might just open the door.

Dombrowski hinted that they could force their way onto the roster. “There will be some people we’re open-minded to being with our big-league club next year coming out of spring training,” he said. “Justin Crawford is one of them. Painter’s another one… I wouldn’t even preclude Aidan Miller from being that type of guy.”

Miller, 21, put together an .864 OPS with 43 extra-base hits and 59 steals in 2025. He’s only played shortstop in the minors, but if the Phillies view him as an option at second or third, it gives them flexibility to move either Stott or Alec Bohm – who enters his final year of arbitration.

Crawford brings contact and speed the Phillies haven’t had in their outfield. He hit .334 with 46 steals last season. The Crawford-Miller combination introduces something this core could use more of: true athleticism.

Painter remains the biggest wild card. After missing two full seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, he returned in 2025 with command issues. But his stuff hasn’t gone anywhere. A fastball that touches triple digits with that size and extension isn’t common, and the Phillies know it.

There’s another arm quickly rising: Gage Wood. Their 2025 first-round pick threw a no-hitter in the College World Series and struck out 69 batters in 37 2/3 innings in his final year at Arkansas. He could make his way to the majors.

Leaning into youth could also mean acquiring young, controllable talent at a position of need – like catcher. That could include Baltimore’s All-Star Adley Rutschman, Seattle’s top catching prospect Harry Ford or prospects Carter Jensen and Blake Mitchell in Kansas City.

New blood doesn’t eliminate offseason splash moves. It complements them. And it could force evolution in Philadelphia.

Dombrowski summed it up best. “We have a good club with a lot of good players, but you don’t have unlimited [funds] … We will be open-minded to get better and make moves.”

The Dodgers aren’t slowing down and the Phillies can’t either.

Whether it’s starpower, restructuring the roster or giving the youth a chance to start, standing still isn’t an option — not when the team you’re chasing keeps hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy.