Why Phillies ran it back instead of going big in MLB offseason - ESPN

The Philadelphia Phillies are no stranger to big MLB free agency moves, but the franchise was notably absent from the hot stove headlines this offseason — and there was a reason for the quiet winter.

The Phillies believe they have a core in place that can compete with anyone this season, even without a splashy free agent addition, because they had already done the bulk of their star hunting over the course of several offseasons by signing Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos to long-term deals.

The results since that group's arrival have been impressive: three straight postseason appearances, including a run to the World Series in 2022. But the Phillies have not held a parade at the end of any of those campaigns — most recently coming up short in last year's NLDS against the New York Mets — and the competition is only going to be tougher this season in the National League East and beyond.

«I looked at the power rankings… 2 through 4 are in the NL East,» Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said of ESPN's preseason list. «I talked to a GM in the American League, and I told him, 'You have a good club,' but he recognized that there were four to five teams in the National League better than his.»

Yet instead of overhauling a team that keeps coming up just short for the ultimate prize, the Phillies front office chose to retool with smaller moves. As the division-rival Mets signed — or re-signed — Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, Frankie Montas, A.J. Minter, Jesse Winker, Ryne Stanek and Griffin Canning and the reigning champion Dodgers added Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki and Tanner Scott, the Phillies were content in adding depth in the form of