The Philadelphia faithful are accustomed to being let down in the playoffs, but this season came with larger than life expectations. The Philadelphia Phillies had another disappointing playoff run as they came up short to division rival, the New York Mets. After another post-season of unfulfilled hopes, the Phillies have a lot of work to do this off-season. 

To start, we have to look at the roster. The Philadelphia Phillies organization’s adjusted payroll total was $247,149,605 in 2024, yet most fans would agree that only four players within that payroll showed up for Red October. So why are we spending so much money on players who can’t handle the pressure of expectations? This is the first thing that needs to be changed. 

For example, in 2022, the Phillies signed the former Los Angeles Dodger Trea Turner to an 11-year, 300 million-dollar contract. Unfortunately, his contract also includes a no-trade clause, meaning now we are stuck with an overpaid, underperforming player. For someone who created so much buzz in South Philadelphia for being “Trea Turner”, he is not playing like it. Turner is a prime example of why we should be paying players less. 

Now, we have to discuss the club’s managers. Rob Thompson’s contract has just been extended until the end of the 2026 season. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone better to replace Thompson, as he has brought the Phillies success that they hadn’t seen in years. Despite his lack of quick decision-making and laid-back managerial style, he has brought us to the World Series and NLCS and helped us become divisional champs for the first time in 13 years. 

As every Phillies fan knows, Taijuan Walker’s season was a dumpster fire you just couldn’t look away from. On December 6, 2022, Taijuan Walker signed a 4-year 72,000,000 dollar contract. That’s 72,000,000 dollars down the drain. Like every Philadelphian, I believe he must either be released or paid significantly less. 

Speaking of Taijuan Walker and the club managers, slow decision-making needs to change this off-season. It took up until September for Rob Thompson to realize that Taijuan Walker was not having a season we could benefit from. On a game-to-game basis, Thompson needs to act faster when the Phillies need a pitching change. 

There have been countless instances where it seemed that everyone in Philadelphia other than Rob Thompson knew that a pitcher needed a change. This has to be changed by next season, or else the bullpen will collapse again like it did this year. 

One thing that every Philadelphia fan expects from players is accountability. Phillies 3rd baseman, Alec Bohm. acted completely childish and petulant in his post game interview after the game 4 of the NLDS. “Yeah, I mean, I definitely wasn’t my best self and that doesn’t feel good, but it is what it is. It’s a hard game.” Bohm solemnly explained to  NBC Sports Philadelphia. 

The accountability and desire to improve fell flat as Bohm defeatedly explained his drought in the postseason. A strong mentality can win ball games, and the roster is falling short. Although it is difficult to coach and teach mentality, it needs to be done this offseason. 

As expectations increase, it appears that the Phillies postseason success decreases.The faithful Philadelphia fans deserve to see evident changes during this offseason, but it won’t come until the fans push for it.