Small victories, large defeats.
A few years ago, I retroactively looked at some of the Phillies’ offseason moves from years past and graded them on how well they eventually played out. As part of my Chaunkkah celebration involving the number eight, I will now look back on the 2008 offseason. Heading into 2008, the Phillies were coming off their […]
In the weeks that follow the end of the season, the accountants in New York tally up the final luxury tax bills for teams that actually spent money to improve their teams. This year, there were nine teams that exceeded the first threshold of $241 million that triggers the tax, the Phillies being among them. […]
While there may still be some changes on the fringe, the Phillies’ bullpen is going to be a bit different looking than when we last saw them. Gone are arms like David Robertson and Jordan Romano and Matt Strahm. Now, we have Brad Keller and Jonathan Bowlan. Factor in that they have a Rule 5 […]
Seems all the team wanted to get their Christmas shopping done prior to this weekend beginning. We had several trades yesterday, two involving the Phillies and a few more that were of some rather significant consequence. Not sure if this kind of flurry of moves has happened like this in the past, but it was […]
Yesterday, I covered the players who wore the number 18 earlier in Phillies history. Today, I’ll go over some of the recent names. Ivan De Jesus De Jesus was the centerpiece of one of the worst trades in Phillies history. He wore 18 in his first season with the club, but after a disappointing showing, […]
The Phillies have spent their Friday reshaping their bullpen. After trading away Matt Strahm earlier in the day, they brought in a different lefthanded reliever in Kyle Backhus. The 27-year-old Backhus made his major league debut with the Diamondbacks in 2025, appearing in 32 games with a 4.62 ERA. He was very effective against lefthand […]
Whenever a pitcher joins a new organization, the question is about what kind of tweaks the organization can make to the player’s arsenal. It might be with adding a new pitch. The Phillies traded for Jesus Luzardo and gave him a sweeper that changed his career. Clay Holmes added a kick-change with the New York […]
In a move that we all kind of saw coming (though maybe didn’t agree with), the Phillies reportedly have traded Matt Strahm to the Royals. Strahm being traded has been whispered about all offseason. The team had three solid left handed relievers and the market for them was weak. It makes sense in that way […]
If the writing wasn’t already on the wall, it became crystal clear earlier this week when the Phillies reportedly signed Adolis Garcia that Nick Castellanos’ days as a Phillie are over. Matt Gelb of the Athletic reiterated that sentiment after the Garcia news broke on Monday. It was a tumultuous time in Philadelphia for Castellanos […]
Xmas is almost here! One more day of work, and then it’s the weekend before the week of Christmas. So cue up your favorite Christmas tunes, deck the halls, and make sure to put out some cookies so Dombrowski-claus will leave a free agent signing under your tree. Phillies news Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Matt […]
Try as I might, I cannot remember one game in which Carlos Hernandez pitched for the Phillies. In fact, searching for his picture in the database for this piece, I had to get real specific about what I was looking for. 2025 stats (w/ Phillies): 25 G, 25 2/3 IP, 18.7 K%, 10.6 BB%, 0.83 […]
Two years ago, as part of my celebration of Chanukah, I examined some of the players who have worn the number eight for the Phillies. For this year’s celebration, I decided to add ten to the number and look at some of the more notable players who have donned 18. One curious thing I discovered: […]
Time brings the mighty low. It makes the tall stoop, the proud humble themselves. We know this implicitly. We just wish it wouldn’t apply to our free agent signings. Enter Adolis García. At the end of the 2023 season he was riding a great Texas-sized wave, hoisting a Gold Glove, the ALCS MVP trophy, and […]
It didn’t come as much of a surprise, but earlier this week Dave Dombrowski confirmed what many were thinking in the wake of the Adolis Garcia signing. The Phillies plan for the outfield, at least for now, will be Garcia in right field, Justin Crawford in center, and Brandon Marsh/right-handed batter platoon in left field. […]
The Phillies seem to love last minute shopping, as they made another signing the week before Christmas. This time, they reportedly agreed to a two year deal with former starter-turned-reliever Brad Keller who had a career year out of the bullpen for the Cubs in 2025. He’ll join a strong bullpen mix that includes Johan […]
Everyone’s favorite pitching target for negativity had another “typical” season in the eyes of the fanbase. Each of his outings was viewed through fingers and hands placed in front of eyes, or they weren’t viewed at all. Many people might choose to go out on a date night the times when Walker was scheduled to […]
Every year we hear the debate about what makes a movie a “Christmas movie” and specifically whether or not Die Hard qualifies. (Yes, it does, BTW) But for whatever reason, we give a lot more leeway when deciding that something is a “Christmas song.” Winter Wonderland, Let it Snow, and Baby, it’s Cold Outside are […]
To say the Phillies’ 2025 outfield was a black hole of productivity isn’t quite accurate. At least black holes have power. With Brandon Marsh, Max Kepler, Nick Castellanos, Weston Wilson and Otto Kemp getting the majority of the playing time through the first four months of the season, the outfield was one of the least […]
In the continued search for bullpen help, the Phillies have reportedly settled on Brad Keller as the best option to provide reinforcement. Once a starter in the Royals’ system, Keller went to the relief role last year with the Cubs where he flourished. He saw jumps in all of the good stats one wants to […]
When the offseason started, the speculation that followed was one that most could have anticipated. The team was looking to upgrade and set their sights on the outfield as a place for improvement. It made sense. With Harrison Bader departing via free agency and Nick Castellanos basically persona non grata in the organization, there were […]
The Phillies-Braves rivalry seemed to take a nap last year, thanks both to a down year from the Atlantas and the increasing threat of the Mets. But rivalry never dies, and neither do the Braves. They’ve been active in the free agent market, signing Mike Yastrzemski, Robert Suarez, and Ha-Seong Kim (well, a re-signing in […]
Phillies News MLB News Here are the following players who agreed to terms with clubs today: Other things
To continue my celebration of the Festival of Lights, I chose one of the team’s Jewish players to review today. Righthanded reliever Max Lazar was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017, but due to COVID and an injury requiring Tommy John surgery, he lost the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He was able to […]
The team’s signing of Adolis Garcia to (presumably) handle right field duties in 2026 means that the Phillies are likely moving on from Nick Castellanos. His tenure likely ends with a whisper and fighting words with the manager. There were definitely some ups to Castellanos’ tenure with the team, his catch in the 2022 NLDS […]
What do we all think is going to happen with the Phillies outfield? On to the links. Phillies News: MLB News: