Philadelphia Phillies Biggest Offseason Question Has Been an Issue for 18 Months

The Philadelphia Phillies have to fix their biggest issue at some point, and MLB free agency seems to be the time to do so.

Oct 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas (18) slides safely first base in the third inning against the New York Mets during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have a few areas to improve during the offseason. Perhaps none are bigger than keeping their existing players around, as Jeff Hoffman and others are set to hit the free agency market.

Re-signing Hoffman should be at the top of their priority list, but there will be other needs for the Phillies.

At this point, if Philadelphia's front office doesn't address their issues in the outfield, it might never happen. It's been clear over the past two campaigns that they need to better their outfield, and the front office hasn't done enough for that not to be a worry.

Seth Trachtman of Yardbarker highlighted the Phillies' biggest needs this winter, touching on the outfield as an area that should be at the top of their priority list.

"The Phillies roster is in great shape heading into 2025, but there are some remaining concerns. The outfield depth appears shaky even after acquiring Austin Hays, as the bats of Johan Rojas and Nick Castellanos haven't held up well this season. The backend of the bullpen will also have huge holes to fill, with Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman becoming free agents."

It remains uncertain how much Philadelphia plans to spend. Reports have indicated that they don't want to pass the third luxury tax threshold, as there would be severe penalties for them doing so.

However, given this team is seemingly much further away than they appeared to be, trades and signings almost have to happen.

Plus, with the existing money already on the books, while it's tough to ask the ownership group to continue to spend, there aren't many other choices.

Unless they believe their current squad could win a World Series, and there's certainly an argument for that, the Phillies will have to do something.

Dave Dombrowski touched on improving their roster, but wouldn't say who he'd be willing to deal.

"I mean, the reality is we have a lot of good players. So I think we just have to be open-minded to exploring what’s out there for us. Talk to some clubs and see what ends up happening. That process hasn’t started. Sometimes you trade good players for good players," Dombrowski said, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

It's only a matter of time for Philadelphia to have some answers. There are many questions surrounding this team for the first winter in a very long time.

If history repeats itself, Dombrowski will figure it out. The rest will be up to the players.