The Phillies had Monday off and returned for some practice and workouts Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. Dave Dombrowski was also there and spoke with members of the media about the state of the club, the upcoming NLDS, and some young players in the organization.

The Phillies will have five days off before they take the field against either the Dodgers or the Reds. Los Angeles moved to within one win of getting that trip to Philly when they beat Cincinnati 10-5 on Tuesday in the best-of-three series. There are any number of ways to look at having that layoff. Between practices and an Intrasquad game tonight, manager Rob Thomson believes the team can stay sharp. Dombrowski believes there are other benefits as well.

“I think it’s an advantage in a sense, for us. There are probably some guys – for example, (Trea) Turner gets a little extra time to get ready – and you can set your rotation up as you want. They’ve played a lot of games, our guys, so I don’t think it hurts to have it, so I think it’s an advantage,” said Dombrowski. “The biggest advantage is that you’re not going out there and playing a three-game series in which, anything can happen.”

In addition to the Reds facing elimination, the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Guardians, and New York Yankees all face elimination today in game 2 of their Wild Card series. The NLDS, which starts Saturday in Philly, is a best-of-five series.

Of course, Dombrowski was asked why he thinks this team can win the World Series and he pointed to the depth on the ball club both offensively and in the starting rotation. He also talked about midseason additions Harrison Bader and Jhoan Duran solidifying the lineup. He also pointed out that the team still has to go out and play their best baseball or none of those things will matter.

Depth could be the key since it allows the Phillies to be a part of what Dombrowski sees as a trend of the 2020’s; using platoons and different lineups.

“I think that’s more the way of baseball in the 2020’s (platoons and a deeper bench), it’s been more like that. There’s very few clubs that are putting the same nine guys out there on an everyday basis. It’s just something about how we have shaped up and he (Rob Thomson) has been more comfortable doing. He’s had more choices to do that. You should always put the best club out there that you can to try to win, and that’s been what I’ve emphasized to him and everybody that we have in the organization,” said Dombrowski. “It gets people more involved from a bench perspective and I feel very comfortable in that perspective. We get advance scouting reports sent to us in anticipation of what’s coming up and I have already received them for the two other clubs (Reds and Dodgers) and they have a left-handed hitting lineup and a right-handed hitting lineup versus a left-handed pitcher and a right-handed pitcher. I feel very good about it.”

Thinking about 2026

While Dombrowski didn’t address any specific signings of Phillies players who are eligible for free agency, he did talk in general terms about whether or not he can keep this team together.

“I’m hopeful that we’ll retain most of the guys, if not all of the guys, but I’m also realistic that it’s not going to be easy,” said Dombrowski. “We like our core and we’re hopeful to keep them with us. But that’s, you know, that’s a story for another day.”

Max Kepler, J.T. Realmuto, David Robertson, Jordan Romano, Kyle Schwarber, and Ranger Suarez are all free agents at the end of the World Series. Matt Strahm had his contract for next season vest at $7.5-million. The Phillies have a team option for $9-million on Jose Alvarado, and Harrison Bader has a mutual option for $10-million. Odds are that Robertson, Romano and Alvarado won’t be back and Kepler could be allowed to leave, too. The Phillies certainly want Realmuto, Schwarber, and Suarez back and will likely look to grab Bader for 2026.

The team will have some choices to make with players like Walker Buehler also. If the Phillies believe that he can help their rotation or make the transition to pitching in relief, they may be interested in re-signing him over the winter. A lot will depend on the length and value of a contract that Buehler will be seeking and how the Phillies believe he can fit into the roster.

The Phillies have some young players who will affect what happens with some of the veterans. Dombrowski pointed out that there was a lot of consideration to promote outfielder Justin Crawford around midseason. It might have happened if the Phillies were not able to get Bader.

“I would have felt very comfortable that time bringing him up. In fact, we talked about it at the time, but the need wasn’t there at that particular time,” noted Dombrowski. “We always had said, if he was coming up, he was going to play, need to play every day. But we would have felt very comfortable do something. He will have chance to compete for a spot in the spring.”

While it may have been disappointing to some fans that Andrew Painter did not make his MLB debut in 2025, Dombrowski, who last spring predicted Painter would join the team around midseason, said that Painter is a definite consideration for next season.

In evaluating Painter, the Phillies are considering more than just the numbers. Dombrowski pointed to the fact that the right-hander was healthy all season and able to make 22 starts at Triple-A, which were both things the Phillies needed to see from him.

“Andrew had a solid year. He went out there every five days, basically all year long, he pitched over 100 innings. Felt good at the end of the year. His stuff was still good. His command wasn’t quite as good, but we thought it was a very solid season for him. He’s in a position where we think he’ll come to camp next year and be in a position where he can compete for a spot. So that’s really an encouraging scenario for him,” said Dombrowski.