The Phillies’ dismal finish was a fitting end to a lackluster season

The Phillies bristled last winter at the suggestion that they were running it back after another disappointing October. Rob Thomson — then still the manager — pointed in January to the team’s three new relievers, Adolis García in right field, Justin Crawford in center, Andrew Painter in the rotation, and Otto Kemp’s place on the roster.

But everyone knew enough to know they were indeed running it back. The main pieces were the same. So the final result — yet another disappointing October — wasn’t much of a surprise.

The three new relievers? Just one pitched in the postseason. García had a .599 OPS when his season ended with a shoulder injury. Crawford looked like a rookie, Painter was a mixed bag, and Kemp appeared in just 13 games before finding himself in the batter’s box for the final out of Thursday’s listless 6-2 loss to Atlanta in Game 3 of their wild-card series.

» READ MORE: Phillies’ weaknesses on display in season-ending 6-2 loss to Braves in Game 3

The Phils were flat in an elimination game, a fitting way to end a season that rarely gave you reason to believe that this October would be any different from last October. The front office didn’t act last winter with any urgency, doing little to upgrade a roster that needed improvement. And then the team started 9-19.

García? He had a .675 OPS over the last two seasons. An upswing would’ve been a bigger surprise than what the Phils got. The bullpen additions? They fizzled. Kemp? The Phils were so thin that they added him to their postseason roster even though he hadn’t been in the majors since May. The bullpen was a disaster, the lineup underperformed, and the trade deadline acquisitions fell short.

» READ MORE: Will Don Mattingly return? That’s ‘Dave’s decision,’ the first of many facing Dombrowski.

The Phils had a good run when Don Mattingly replaced Thomson in late April and they played well in August. But that soured in September when they nearly missed the postseason. The maddening season was extended by three games, just one of which was actually in October. Game 3 was lined up for them: Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler vs. Ray Kerr and Grant Holmes. But this October was the same as last October. They indeed ran it back.

… the plan to start Nola before going to Wheeler. The Phils needed Nola to go through the lineup at least once and then you’d be able to decide when to best deploy Wheeler. Nola couldn’t do it and that was the game. But the plan — which would have Nola to Wheeler to Duran — was sound. It didn’t work out.

… the Phillies beat the Diamondbacks by 10 runs in Game 2 of the 2023 NLCS and then flew to Arizona with visions of splashing in their pool? The Phils have since gone 4-12 in the postseason and have failed to win a playoff series. The Phils had a second-straight pennant in their grasp that night and felt like a budding dynasty. How was that just three years ago?

Phillies Alec Bohm walks off the field after the final out in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series against the Braves Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

… Garrett Stubbs should’ve started over J.T. Realmuto since Nola was pitching. Yes, Nola has better numbers this season with Stubbs behind the plate, but they’re practically equal (.703 OPS against with Realmuto compared to a .692 OPS against with Stubbs) across Nola’s career. Plus, Realmuto has caught more than 700 innings from Nola than Stubbs. Realmuto had a big triple in Game 1 and another hit in Game 2. Plus, his defense in Game 2 kept the Phils alive. There was no reason to swap Realmuto out in an elimination game and sacrifice an at-bat or two just so Stubbs could catch Nola.

» READ MORE: Murphy: The same structural failures cost the Phillies again in the playoffs. The onus falls on Dave Dombrowski

… Aidan Miller to be an impact player. The Phils have produced just one homegrown impact bat — Rhys Hoskins — since the end of the last golden era. Bohm and Stott’s career production hovers around league average. Crawford looks like a fine player but not a star. Hoskins had a career OPS+ of 125 when he left the Phils. That kind of production would play. The lineup will be another year older in 2027 and it’s hard to imagine this run continuing without an infusion of young talent. There’s not much in the pipeline besides Miller.

» READ MORE: Hayes: Trea Turner is the Phillies’ biggest problem. He knows it: ‘A lot of that is on me.’

… they already have their rotation set for 2027 and it’ll rival any team in baseball. You can put Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo, and Cristopher Sánchez up against any other staff’s top three pitchers. Painter looked the part after returning from the minors and his performance in Game 2 makes you feel even better about next season. Nola threw a dud on Thursday, but he’s a luxury as your fifth starter.

… they’re getting older and there doesn’t seem to be much you can change about the lineup. Realmuto turns 36 in March and has two years left on his deal. Harper and Schwarber will both be 34 next season and Turner will be 33 with seven years left on his 11-year deal. The offense — besides Harper and Schwarber — underperformed in 2026 and it’s hard to believe they’re going to get better with a core that remains intact. They’ll acquire a right fielder (or a first baseman and have Harper stay in right) and maybe replace Brandon Marsh in left. They can swap out Bohm for Miller but there doesn’t seem to be room for the drastic upgrades they need as they already have $217 million committed for next season. Plus, they need to spend some money on the bullpen.

Every era eventually ends. Thursday night felt like an inflection point. The Phils won’t run it back again. Right?