Philadelphia Phillies Don't Seem Likely To Further Upgrade Bullpen This Winter

Based on the latest comments made by Dave Dombrowski, it sounds like the bullpen won't be upgraded any further this winter.

Oct 20, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson signals to the bullpen during the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in game four of the NLCS for the 2023 MLB playoffs at Chase Field / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It seems like this is going to be another quiet winter for the Philadelphia Phillies.

After making noise in just about every offseason following the then-record signing of Bryce Harper in March 2019, the past two has seen the normally aggressive Dave Dombrowski remain largely idle.

The Phillies re-signed Aaron Nola and extended Zack Wheeler last winter, but when it came to making notable additions to their Major League roster, their lone one was inking utility man Whit Merrifield to a contract that didn't pan out with him getting released before the All-Star Game.

This time around, Philadelphia has made more moves, signing reliever Jordan Romano, outfielder Max Kepler, and making a trade for Jesus Luzardo.

But, there are still areas that seem to be weak on paper, most notably in their bullpen, where two of their best relievers from last year, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez, remain free agents.

At one point, it seemed like the Phillies would bring at least one of them back, but now that the offseason continues to roll on and there hasn't been much to report on this outside of some rumored interest in a reunion with Estevez, that scenario seems less likely.

And after what Dave Dombrowski recently said, it sounds like there is no chance for a reunion with either.

"As for the bullpen, Dombrowski indicated they are likely done adding," reported Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

If that is truly how the rest of the winter plays out, Philadelphia is going to need every single reliever on their roster to take their games to the next level.

Orion Kerkering has to become a reliable shutdown man, Tanner Banks will have to be ready for more high-leverage situations, and Jose Alvarado needs to be the dominant pitcher he was in the past.

It can happen, but that is relying on a lot to go right.

The Phillies aren't cash-strapped when it comes to their ability to spend, but since they are repeat luxury tax offenders, every dollar they spend gets penalized further.

Based on that, and the comments made by Dombrowski, it seems like the quiet winter will continue.