For the first time since 2021, the Phillies aren't playing in the NLDS.

There is lots of blame due to the players. They are talented, they are highly paid, and they fell short of expectations. An experienced team with a top-five payroll shouldn't go out with a whimper, like these Phillies did in three games to the Braves in the NL Wild Card Series.

But they weren't exactly put in the best position to succeed either.

The writing on the wall makes it pretty clear the Phils are going to stick with their front office team. We'll get into that more next week. Dave Dombrowski will have a lot to do this fall. Here's a look at 10 ways he and the rest of management can shake up the Phillies to give them a better shot at succeeding in 2027:

1. Bring in a new manager

This one looks like it's definitely happening — and according to reports it still could be former Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

One of the constants during the Phils' last five years of playoff contention has been an old-school managerial style. It started with Joe Girardi, who was fired in 2022 and his lieutenant Rob Thomson took over for the next four years. Back in the spring, Thomson was the scapegoat for a brutally bad start, and his assistant Don Mattingly took over as skipper, just barely leading the Phillies into a playoff spot.

A different approach to managing this roster and these personalities is required. Cora offers that. If it's not Cora, someone young and perhaps more analytically-minded should be on Dombrowski's radar.

2. Trade a contract

This one is probably the most difficult and least likely on our list, but the Phillies need to look into it. 

We'll go over this in more detail over the coming weeks in our annual "stay or go" series, but the Phils have some seemingly immovable contracts on the books for the greater part of the next decade:

Should they trade Harper? Would anyone be willing to take on the Nola or Turner contracts?

Schwarber, Luzardo and Sánchez are probably untouchable and the Phillies would not even consider shopping them. But the Phillies need some new blood. And any MLB GM who is willing to pick up the phone and play ball to give the Phils some payroll flexibility is more than worth the time. 

Harper, Schwarber and Turner all have no-trade clauses. It would probably take a miracle. Work the phones Dave.

3. Re-sign Luis Arráez

Would a healthy Arráez have made a difference in the Wild Card? I am betting yes. In that tight Game 1, having him and his bat skills against Atlanta ace Chris Sale might have helped the Phils score another run or two and could have totally flipped the outcome.

With so many home threats and aggressive swing-happy hitters on the roster, Arráez provided the Phillies with a different set of skills down the stretch this season. Few in the league strike out less than he does. His defense at second base was very solid and as a soon-to-be free agent, the Phillies should seriously consider locking the 29-year-old down longterm. 

4. Go scorched earth with the bullpen

The following relief pitchers should be back for 2027: Jhoan Duran and Alex McFarlane. That is all.

The bullpen needs six new faces. It also needs more depth in the minor leagues. We could throw stats at you to quantify just how bad their bullpen actually was — and has been for years — but the issue was as plain to see as possible. The Phillies had no confidence in any relief pitchers and it's why they were shuffling around their starters, panicking to get as many outs as possible over the season's last week.

Dombrowski has been atrocious at bullpen building. It's one of the hardest things to do in baseball. But the Phils need a different approach and a willingness to spend here.

5. Build around starting pitching

All five starting pitchers are set to return for 2027. And no one is upset about that. Zack Wheeler, Luzardo and Sánchez were three of the best pitchers in the NL and should be in the top 10 in Cy Young voting at the end of October. Andrew Painter made strides in the second half of his rookie year. And if Nola is your No. 5 — you're in a pretty good spot.

The problem is, the Phillies' defense was the second worst in the majors last season and their offense wasn't good enough to make that irrelevant. 

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With these five guys set in stone, the Phillies should look for defense this offseason, as boring as that sounds. They'll probably have at least one new infielder and outfielder in the lineup next year. Make it two guys who are defensive juggernauts. Play complimentary baseball and lock down the opposing hitters.

6. Say goodbye to Alec Bohm

Bohm didn't make it a no-brainer decision for the Phillies brass to part ways by playing well in the second half of the year, and he had some big swings against the Braves. 

He's not coming back. Philly's shake up begins with Bohm's departure. He'll find a home elsewhere, probably playing first base, and it'll open up some room for top prospect Aidan Miller to make it to the majors next season.

7. Consider moving Trea Turner to the outfield

A look at three stat lines:

One of these three stat lines belongs to Trea Turner from the 2026 season. The other two are the Phillies' aggregate hitting stats from the RF and from the CF positions respectively.

Turner is one of the worst defensive shortstops in baseball. And as you can see from his hitting line (he's Player 1), he's no longer justifying it by competing for batting titles. If the Phillies can upgrade an infield spot, at the very worst they're not losing anything offensively in the outfield. The Phillies are stuck with him until 2033. Maybe he can learn the outfield.

8. Seriously invest in an outfielder

Which leads us to the next item on the to do list. The Phillies need a real outfielder. Here is a list of the players the Phillies attempted to play in the outfield this season, aside from Harper, and rookie Justin Crawford who had a decent first season:

• Brandon Marsh (who fell off a cliff hitting .184 in the second half of the season, after hitting .301 in the first)
• Edmundo Sosa (an infielder)
• Adolis Garcia (remember him?)
• Derek Hill
• Bryan De La Cruz (who started in the playoffs)
• Otto Kemp
• Felix Reyes
• Dylan Moore
• Steward Berroa
• Gabriel Rincones Jr.
• Garrett Stubbs (their third string catcher)
• Kyle Schwarber (the DH started twice in the OF this season)

That sounds like a Phillies team from 2016, not 2026.

9. Find a new hitting coach

Kevin Long might have ties to some former Nationals like Turner, Schwarber and Harper, but his days with the Phillies have to be numbered.

In 2026 the Phillies had one of the worst offenses in baseball:

There has to be a good hitting coach upgrade out there.

10. Pay what it takes

There is no way of knowing what baseball's financial structure might be next season. If there is a next season.

The owners want a salary cap of some sort, and the players absolutely do not. With the current structure in place, the Phillies are destined to be repeat offenders again for the luxury tax and that should not matter.

Managing partner John Middleton should feel this team's chances of winning a World Series slipping away, and he should keep backing up the brinks truck.

If they can't shed one of their big monster contracts, that's fine. Be willing to shell out more. The Dodgers are proving that you have to take advantage of the rules the way they're written. And there is nothing aside from frugality, at least right now, holding the Phillies back from spending what it takes to have a World Series caliber roster.

Philly is still a top 5 team in attendance in the sport. If the team wants to keep it that way, they're going to have to keep reinvesting. 

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