Philadelphia Phillies Trade Pitch Could Be Result of Losing in NLDS

The moves the Philadelphia Phillies make in the offseason could be due to how they play in the playoffs.

Sep 27, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryan Helsley (56) reacts to getting the final out against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning at Oracle Park. / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have their eyes set on winning a World Series, and there's no excuse for them not to get the job done.

That doesn't change the fact that winning in Major League Baseball is one of the toughest things to do come October. Still, with a roster as talented as the Phillies, they have to get the job done.

If they don't and lose in the NLDS to the New York Mets, there's a good chance that changes could be coming.

Those changes don't have to be about their star players, but marginal moves could often help teams win a World Series. As they've seen the benefits of having elite bullpen arms, it could be as simple as revamping that unit.

No matter what happens in the postseason, the wise decision would be to re-sign Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez. They've been two of the better relief pitchers in Major League Baseball throughout the campaign, but it's uncertain how realistic that is.

Many teams around the league are often willing to overspend on high-end arms, so Philadelphia could be directly affected by that.

However, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently proposed a trade idea that'd give the Phillies a potential replacement for one of them.

Kelly pitched a deal that'd see the Phillies trade for right-hander Ryan Helsley.

"This one depends how the postseason plays out. The Phillies are a team with a bunch of veterans under contract, so if they have a disappointing postseason exit, it may be difficult to make a ton of changes to the roster entering 2025. One area to potentially target is closer. Since taking over as the President of Baseball Operations for the Phillies, Dave Dombrowski hasn't invested major resources in the closer position. But Craig Kimbrel melted down last postseason, while the trio of Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering laid an egg in the team's 2024 NLDS Game 1 loss to the Mets."

As Kelly alluded, many of Philadelphia's decisions in the offseason will likely depend on how they play in the postseason.

Winning games in the regular season is awesome. They could even look back over the past two years and be happy with making it to the World Series and NLCS.

However, with the team being as good as it is, their play is judged on winning a World Series.

Every campaign they don't will be viewed as a disappointment. This could be the final straw before they make a change.