Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies hits Bryson Stott after scoring on an error by New York Mets third baseman Mark Vientos in the bottom of the fourth inning of Game 4 of the National League Baseball Playoff Series on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. 5 points) will be congratulated. new york. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Carlos Estevez crouched on the mound and turned his head toward center field as Phillies relief pitchers tracked Francisco Lindor’s long drive to the outfield.
When Lindor’s shot sailed over the fence for the winning grand slam, sending the New York Mets into the National League Championship Series and Philadelphia entering another blank offseason, Estevez hung his head.
The team, which spent most of the season with the best record in baseball history, has climbed the postseason ladder, from a loss in the 2022 World Series to a loss in Game 7 of the 2023 National League Championship Series. This was probably the worst loss of all, as he continued to whiff. , Lost 4 straight to the Mets in the NLDS.
What went wrong? Select the cause of death after the season from the Misfortune menu.
__ A high-priced lineup full of sluggers — JT Realmuto is 0-for-11. Kyle Schwarber went 2-for-16, driving one game after another out of the strike zone and foiling the Phillies’ clutch attempts.
__ A reliable bullpen with two reliable All-Stars collapsed shockingly against the Mets.
__ Players considered to be tomorrow’s building blocks, such as Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh, have shown low enough production to potentially become trade bait this winter.
“Everyone in baseball, everyone in baseball, everyone is saying, ‘This is our year, this is our year, this is our year.’ slugger Nick Castellanos said.
Until it isn’t.
The important number is probably this one, 32-33. Counting the postseason, the Phillies weren’t even a .500 team in their final 65 games, a sign that they likely peaked too early, even if they won the National League East. Even if they did, this lineup was not designed to make it through the postseason in earnest.
The Phillies (95-67) essentially brought back last season’s team and tried to give this core one more run, but changes are clearly on the horizon.
But blowing up the roster? It’s not happening.
“I don’t think we’re going to back down, no.” Manager Rob Thomson said.
Where do the Phillies go from here, with a ballooning payroll, years and millions of dollars left on Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Schwarber, Castellanos and most of the rotation?
close daycare
Boehm, Stott, and Marsh made up the Phillies’ trio of 20-somethings essential to a championship. Bohm earned the All-Star berth for the first time in his career this season and did not disappoint, but he declined significantly towards the end and into the playoffs, and was benched in Game 2.
Stott and Marsh earned seats for Game 3.
The trio went 4-for-37 in five games, but Stott’s inability to develop into an All-Star starter was one of the clear disappointments of the season.
A local artist painted a mural on the side of a Philadelphia bar ahead of the trio’s postseason run. By Thursday morning, Phillies fans seemed ready to desecrate the art.
“Mr. Gorbachev, please tear down this wall.” one person wrote on social media.
Boehm has two years of arbitration eligibility before becoming a free agent and said after Game 4 that he plans to return next season.
Slugger in decline
There was a lot of blame outside of day care. Castellanos (7-for-17) and Harper had solid performances, but Trea Turner was 3-for-15 and the Phillies hit .186 in the National League with runners in scoring position, including 6-for-31. I stayed.
The struggling slugger comes from last season, when Schwarber, Turner, Harper and Castellanos went 5-for-53 (.094) with 11 walks, 22 strikeouts and two RBIs in Philadelphia’s four NLCS losses. The trend continued.
What team can expect to win the World Series when the bats are perpetually silent in October?
In baseball terms, the Phillies need a professional hitter in their lineup. They need a hitter who can control the strike zone, who can make productive outs instead of always taking big strike threes, and who doesn’t get too worked up at the plate.
The Phillies are 1-5 in their last six postseason games.
thomson status
Thomson has one year left on his contract and an extension doesn’t appear to be on the table, but that doesn’t seem like a huge vote of confidence for a manager whose playoff team’s revenue is dwindling.
The players seem to like the manager nicknamed Topper, who is entering his fourth season and could make or break the World Series. If the Phillies get off to a slow start, there’s no doubt the seats will get pretty heated.
free agent
Estevez and fellow pitchers Jeff Hoffman and Spencer Turnbull are the only players eligible for free agency.
Hoffman wants to come back, and even a terrible postseason (he allowed six runs in 1 1/3 innings in three games and lost Games 1 and 4) will hinder his negotiations with the Phillies on a new contract. It should not cause this.
The Phillies have made the postseason three years in a row without a true No. 1 closer each season. Bullpen plans by committee failed in the playoffs (hello, goodbye, Craig Kimbrel)
All-Star left-hander Matt Stram flared up in the Game 1 loss, and the bullpen never recovered. The Phillies’ relievers had an ERA of 11.37, allowing 11 of 15 players to score.
Majority owner John Middleton isn’t shy about making big deals, but the Phillies have no intention of paying Hoffman or Estevez big salaries.
return of the painter
The Phillies are hoping that valuable pitching prospect Andrew Painter can contribute to their rotation next season. The 21-year-old right-hander hasn’t pitched since injuring his elbow in spring training in 2023, which required Tommy John surgery. Painter is scheduled to return to the mound this weekend in the Arizona Fall League. The Phillies intend to limit him to 20 innings, but have not yet decided how they will use him in 2025.
The 6-foot-7 Painter was the 13th overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft and signed with a $3.9 million bonus.
Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Christopher Sanchez and Taijuan Walker are under contract beyond next season, while Ranger Suarez is subject to salary arbitration through next season.
The Phillies could move on with Walker, but the free-agent deal would undoubtedly be the worst move by baseball operations president Dave Dombrowski since taking over ahead of the 2021 season. do not have. (The trade deadline deal between Estevez and outfielder Austin Hayes was also less talked about.)
Walker was removed from the rotation, had his one starting spot revoked, and was removed from the postseason roster.
bad timing
In the final dark afterword of the season, Callum Scott was late to the party. The British singer was finally scheduled to perform in Philadelphia on Thursday night, but now there’s no reason to celebrate. “Dancing on My Own” The song was retired as the official postseason party anthem, and the season ended anyway.
The State College Spikes’ 2025 schedule has been released, starting with 40 regular season home games.
