Outfield will be the most likely place to bring change and lineup balance to the Phillies

When the bats turned from torches to ice picks in the span of five games last October, the Phillies’ remedy was to coach a bunch of aggressive hitters to swing outside the strike zone on fewer pitches.

A year later, after a play-off elimination one round earlier, the problem persists.

So, what now?

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“The reality is,” Dave Dombrowski said Tuesday, “we have a good lineup.”

Okay, a few things: It was October 15, six days after the Phillies were booted by the Mets in the divisional round. It doesn’t make much sense for a baseball executive to go into details about an offseason plan weeks before the free-agent and trade markets take shape.

But the Phillies also have five hitters who will make at least $20 million next season. So there’s only so much Dombrowski and his front office can do to change the mix or even add another dimension to the offense.

That’s why Dombrowski emphasized continuity during a 45-minute press conference at Citizens Bank Park. He announced a one-year contract extension for Rob Thomson, which will see the manager through the 2026 season and the return of the coaching staff. He said Trea Turner will remain at shortstop and outlined offseason programs for light-hitting center Johan Rojas and even No. 5 starter Taijuan Walker.

And he tried to give context to a come-and-go offense that scored the third-most runs in the National League but missed all but four innings of the four games against the Mets.

“This is a downtime from an offensive perspective in professional baseball,” Dombrowski said. “What was the (league) average, .243 at the end of the year? Most of our hitters were better than .243. You see the scores in most of the postseason, there’s not a lot of run production happening. So sometimes we are vulnerable to a good pitch, just like other clubs.

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“But it’s something we’ll look at. It is something we are aware of. We will look at it to see if we can change anything.”

Changes are inevitable, even if they probably won’t be as drastic as frustrated fans would like. The Phillies cut the roster after last season and for half a season it seemed like a brilliant move. It is doubtful, even after 95 wins and their first division title since 2011, that they will do it again.

The Phillies’ payroll, calculated based on the luxury tax, will be about $261 million, which would exceed the second threshold of $257 million. Dombrowski said he is unsure if payroll will increase because he has not spoken to owner John Middleton, but added that there is “no indication that we will not continue to have an aggressive payroll.”

So is it possible that the Phillies could add another star player? After all, Juan Soto has the offensive zone discipline and all-field approach that was missing from the Phillies’ lineup.

“I don’t think we need to add any more star players,” Dombrowski said. “We have as many stars as anyone in baseball. John is very accommodating and giving, but you are also in a position where you are still working with a payroll department and trying to make things work for you. Would you be open to (drawing a star)? Yes. But you have to be careful because sometimes it’s not just the star players. Sometimes it’s also the supporting cast.”

At separate news conferences, Dombrowski and Thomson expressed confidence in Alec Bohm, who was benched in Game 2 of the division series because the Phillies were disappointed with the way he handled a late-season slump. Thomson said he plans to text and call the 28-year-old third baseman to rebuild his confidence.

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Dombrowski admitted that the infield is largely set in stone, making the outfield the most likely place to change personnel and bring more balance to the lineup. The Phillies ranked 15th in the majors with a .710 OPS from left field and 20th with a .644 in center. Dombrowski described the Phillies’ outfield production as “very average.”

At the trade deadline, Dombrowski hoped to strengthen the outfield with a move for Austin Hays. But the right-hitting left fielder struggled with hamstring and back injuries and a kidney infection that limited him to starting only 21 of 59 games after the trade. There is a good chance that he will not be offered a contract.

So it’s possible the Phillies will look to acquire another right-hitting outfielder to play in left field with Brandon Marsh. Or they could make a bigger move for an everyday left fielder, especially with center fielder Justin Crawford “coming very quickly,” said Dombrowski, who could envision the 20-year-old reaching the Majors at some point next season.

Either way, the outfield is an area where the Phillies can add a hitter with a different skill set to an easier group to attack.

“You want to make your club better. You don’t want to be in a position to just change faces,” Dombrowski said. “I think it depends on who is available and how you weigh that and how they fit into your club. We just have to be open to exploring what’s available to us. Sometimes you trade good players for good players.”

And sometimes all the good players left have to be better.

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Turner and Nick Castellanos won’t suddenly stop breaking pitches out of the strike zone. But after the knockout game against the Mets, Turner said the Phillies often “take ourselves out of it.” Dombrowski took note of that comment and suggested several hitters could benefit from a different adjustment.

“One thing I would like us to do — and that will fall into Kevin Long’s hands — is use the whole field a little bit more at times,” Dombrowski said. “We sometimes become too much of a pull-oriented club for me. If you look at it, a lot of our hits in the postseason didn’t come in the opposite direction. That’s something we’ve already talked about. Now the hitters have to believe in that too.”

The Phillies bought an expensive core that has them in contention every year. But getting over the postseason bump may require offseason creativity to improve the offense, especially on the margins.

“You look to get better,” Dombrowski said, “but we do have a lot of good players.”