Answering your Phillies questions with 39 games to go and so much at stake

The Phillies hit some baseballs into the cornfield Thursday night, and maybe that’s what everyone needed. It was a refreshing nine innings after weeks of struggling to push the boulder uphill. The Phillies have 39 games to play, and they, of all teams, know how much can happen in 39 games.

They are on pace for 85 wins, which would be the team’s lowest total during this stretch of regular-season success. Will that be enough to reach the postseason again? Right now, the Phillies are just happy to have a day off after 14 games in 14 days. You have some questions. Here are some answers.

(Questions have been edited for clarity and length.)

This is an old team with atrocious defense, a load of immovable contracts, a mysteriously injured key top prospect and a pretty barren farm system. The injection of players at the deadline failed to help brighten the vibes even a bit, as one player was injured immediately and the key acquisition seemed to catch the offensive inconsistencies from the rest of the team like they were contagious. Watching this team has become exhausting, and this franchise just seems … stuck.

Can you give us some hope? Or does this legitimately seem like the beginning of the end for this era? — Michael H.

You know, this feels like a light and breezy way to begin.

With every cold streak from this all-too-familiar roster, it feels like the beginning of the end. That is natural. It does not look or feel like it should from a team with the highest payroll in franchise history and World Series-or-bust expectations.

The Phillies, at times, look old. They look uninterested. They look beatable.

But the window will stay open as long as they have Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo and Zack Wheeler atop the rotation. That is not to suggest the Phillies have everything they need just with those three guys; they do not. But those three are equalizers. They can help the Phillies overcome weaknesses in other places on the roster. It’s why the national perception of the Phillies is that they will be a dangerous team should they reach the postseason.

That said, no matter how this season goes, the Phillies have to find ways to infuse change. Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter look like reasonable contributors, albeit not difference makers. But outside of Gage Wood, there is not much in the upper minors the Phillies can expect to see in 2027. Most free agents will be on the other side of 30.

If the whole thing feels stale, it’s on the front office to squeeze whatever it can from the usable pieces while doing better around the edges.

Do the Phillies view Bryson Stott as someone they might want to extend? In a very limited time, I like what I’ve seen from him at third base. — Andrew R.

The contract stuff feels premature. But the work at third base (and Stott’s improved quality of at-bats) could be an asset going into the offseason. If it looks like this for two months, the Phillies might not be pinned into a corner in seeking a new third baseman. Maybe there is a second baseman who fits better; maybe they make another run at Bo Bichette and feel better about the defensive alignment with him at second and Stott at third.

The infielder free-agent market is not robust. The Phillies are expected to pursue Teruaki Sato, a third baseman, who could come to MLB from Japan. But having options with Stott does not hurt as they try to build a better roster in 2027.

Are the Phillies trying to show us how smart they are by batting Luis Arraez in the cleanup spot, whereas anybody with just a Strat-O-Matic managing background would have him hitting first or second? — Anonymous

It is unconventional, no doubt, but I see the logic. It’s probably how I would arrange them. Arraez will hit for a better average than Kyle Schwarber, sure, but Schwarber is better at getting on base. He has a .435 on-base percentage since moving into the leadoff spot. The more guys on base for a contact-reliant hitter like Arraez, the better. Arraez, for his career, is a terrific hitter with runners in scoring position. It just so happens he has been in a slump in those situations since joining the Phillies. Is it because he’s hitting fourth? I don’t think so.

Put it another way: In the first 10 games with Arraez on the Phillies, he batted 27 times with a runner on base while Schwarber batted 21 times in those situations. Schwarber is the more traditional “run producer.” But he also strikes out at a prodigious rate. Valuing contact from the cleanup spot, hoping you have runners in scoring position, is logical.

Luis Arraez, 29, will be a free agent after this season. (Tyler Clouse / Getty Images)

Despite all the uncertainty with the 2027 season, should extending Arraez be a priority, given Alec Bohm’s likely departure? — Greg K.

You have to let this play out. We don’t know what the labor situation will be or what the financial structure of the sport will look like in 2027. If Arraez has a good final six weeks, he’ll probably land a multi-year deal as a free agent. (He’s going to seek one regardless of how he does in August and September.) Do the Phillies think he has a long-term future at second base? If he doesn’t, how does he fit on this roster if the club has long-term investments in a designated hitter and first baseman?

Why are they so scared to pull the plug on Bohm? For a number of reasons, it seems clear to the casual observer that Bryce Harper should be at first base, and they should be running Bryan De La Cruz or some platoon or mix of guys in right field, instead of what they are doing now. Why won’t they do it? — Brendan B.

If anything, it’s a stark commentary on how the decision makers view the alternatives. The Phillies have had several chances over the last few years to move on from Bohm, but the front office never felt like it was getting commensurate value in return. Or that the alternative to replace Bohm was better.

So they held onto him. Now he’s a below-replacement-level player and will walk at the end of the season for nothing in return. The Phillies tend to hang onto some players until their value is totally depleted, and Bohm looks to be a prime example of that.

Why do the Phillies refuse to use Jhoan Duran for more than three outs? Sunday seemed like the perfect time to let Duran try to get four outs to secure the win and save the bullpen from needing to pitch in extras. If they make the postseason, they will use him for more than three outs on occasion, I assume. Why not give him a few reps here and there in the regular season, especially with the rest of the pen being such a question mark? — John B.

It’s a good point, John, and I expect the Phillies to do this down the stretch. Duran is tracking well behind last year’s workload pace. In the team’s first 122 games this season, he had logged 41 1/3 innings in 44 appearances. He was at 53 1/3 innings in 54 appearances at this point last season.

Since acquiring him at the 2025 deadline, the Phillies have yet to use Duran for more than three outs during a regular-season game. As a rookie, Duran did it 14 times with the Minnesota Twins. That lessened as he became the defined closer in Minnesota. But he still did it three times in 2024 and twice in July 2025 before the Twins traded him.

The last thing the Phillies want to do is put Duran at risk. But this is a task he seems capable (and willing) to handle. Getting him some exposure to multi-inning appearances in August or September could be a good idea because, yes, he will be asked to do it in the postseason.

Alex Cora turned down an offer to take over as manager of the Phillies after they fired Rob Thomson in April. (Kim Klement Neitzel / Imagn Images)

Are there any big-ish changes you see happening if the Phillies do not make the playoffs that they otherwise would not make if they do? Basically, will failing to play in the postseason force larger changes or do you think their offseason decision-making will be the same regardless of outcome? — Patchen F.

Will Alex Cora be managing the Phillies in 2027? — Anonymous

There might not be a difference between the Phillies missing the postseason altogether or a loss in the Wild Card Series or Division Series. If any of those scenarios happen, I would expect larger changes than we’ve seen in previous offseasons.

You’d be talking about position changes — whether it’s Trea Turner to the outfield or Stott to third base or shortstop on a permanent basis. You’d be talking about the Phillies moving on from players who have been here for the entire run, guys such as Bohm and José Alvarado. You’d be talking about a more significant reimagining of the whole outfield. You’d be talking about changes to the club’s player-development and drafting operations — which might happen regardless. You’d be talking about sweeping changes to the big-league coaching staff, especially if there is a new manager.

Until proven otherwise, the assumption has to be that Cora manages the Phillies in 2027. Dombrowski attempted to hire Cora in April. He will attempt to hire him again this offseason. Other clubs will have interest in Cora.

But if Cora wants back in the game, it’s hard to imagine him doing it anywhere else.

What concrete steps has Dombrowski taken to improve the Phillies farm system and talent acquisition and development performance? — Gary B.

It’s not a long list, Gary. Dombrowski often defers to his people; his focus is on the big-league roster. So if anything, Dombrowski should have some pointed questions to ask. Are the right people running these departments? What has gone wrong?

This is not a new phenomenon. The Phillies have existed for 140 years, and there are only two small periods in which they nailed drafting and developing. Other than that, it’s a desert. There needs to be real introspection on why that is — beginning with the ownership group.

What’s your sense of how the organization truly (views) Aidan Miller in 2027 and beyond? Are they just being conservative with him and calling 2026 a lost year, or are there deeper issues here? Seems like he’s a massive piece to the future puzzle with big implications if he can’t get back on the field. — Ryan V.

My sense is the Phillies do not know what to expect with regards to Miller’s future. They have operated conservatively for six months now, but the root of his back problems dates back longer than that. Miller was supposed to play in the Arizona Fall League in October 2025. Lingering back soreness prevented him from doing that. So they treated the issue with rest over the offseason. And, still, he experienced pain when he increased his activity in spring training.

I do not think the Phillies will enter this offseason banking on Miller being a part of their 2027 plans. Maybe the yearlong pause in his career will benefit him in the long run, and he emerges in 2027. But they cannot plan around that when constructing the roster. It’s a brutal situation for everyone involved.

Agree or disagree: Blow it up, load up on prospects, try again in five years. — Christopher R.

Disagree. It didn’t work in 2015-2018, and it won’t work again. Do you want to try, or do you want to be the Baltimore Orioles? They lost 368 of 546 games (67 percent) from 2018 to 2021. They have exactly zero postseason wins to show for it.

The answer is to always try.

Good God, Matt, where do we go in 2027? — Andrew R.

I don’t know. Let’s just hope there is actual baseball for us to nitpick.