There’s been plenty of outside noise surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason, much of it centered on the idea that the organization is simply “running it back” after falling short in 2025 and every other year before.
From the outside, the thinking is understandable and to me, it makes sense. The good players on this roster are pretty much the same as they’ve been for quite a few seasons now.
However, inside the building, that’s not how the Phillies see it, and skipper Rob Thomson made that clear.
Speaking this week, Thomson pushed back against the idea that Philadelphia is just bringing back the same group and hoping for a different result. In his view, the changes may not all be massive to the fanbase, but they’re meaningful.
“If you think that’s running it back, or whatever the saying is, I don’t really know what to tell you,” Thomson said, per Philadelphia Baseball Review. “We got three new relievers, a new right fielder, (Justin) Crawford’s gonna have every chance to play, a rookie starting pitcher, Otto Kemp who wasn’t here at the start of last year. That’s 20-25% of the roster.”
While the Phillies didn’t overhaul their roster, they also didn’t stand still, at least in a sense. The bullpen, which was an issue during stretches of last season, looks different, with multiple new arms expected to compete for leverage roles.
I also liked the Adolis Garcia move, but if we’re being honest, 2026 Garcia isn’t exactly a game-changer.
Thomson also pointed to players who weren’t even part of the picture early last season, including rookie starter Otto Kemp and potential starter Justin Crawford.
“We got a good ball club going in… we’re going to infuse some youth into this lineup… I feel really good about it,” Thomson said.
I’m excited to watch Crawford play, but similar to some other guys, it isn’t like he’s guaranteed to come in and do what’s needed. The kid is young and will likely struggle, even if it’s just early on.
Whether the front office has done enough will ultimately be decided on the diamond, and we’ll find out rather soon, with spring training not too far away.