Dave Dombrowski’s moves and Rob Thomson’s strategies have the Phillies on top of the NL

Despite no Jose Alvarado and an Aaron Nola deficit, the Phillies have still been winning. The bosses deserve credit.

The offseason and in-season decisions by Rob Thomson (left) and Dave Dombrowski have worked out for the Phillies so far.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Published May 24, 2025, 5:00 a.m. ET

After 50 games, the Phillies somehow have the best record in the National League. Thank Dealin’ Dave and Topper.

After series sweeps of the Pirates and Rockies, they’ve won seven of their last eight series, 19 of 24 games, and seven games in a row as they enter a weekend series Friday in Sacramento, Calif., the temporary home of the former Oakland A’s.

They stood alone, despite lacking No. 2 starter Aaron Nola, who was bad, then was injured. They stood alone, despite lately lacking closer José Alvarado, who has served the first six games of an 80-game ban for taking PEDs. They stood alone, despite Bryce Harper carrying an OPS of .850, which is really good, but is 61 points below his career OPS entering 2025.

They stood alone because team president Dave Dombrowski and manager Rob Thomson once again did a splendid job of compiling a potent roster, then properly deploying it. Dombrowski and Thomson were roundly criticized through the season‘s first 25 games, and perhaps deservedly so, but they certainly deserve recognition at Game 50.

This defense might fall on deaf ears, considering the current levels of entitlement and frustration the team’s fans feel. The Phillies have enjoyed continual regular season success but also have suffered increasing postseason disappointments; 87 wins, then 90 wins, then 95 wins and the East Division crown, but also a World Series loss, an NLCS loss, and a divisional round loss.

But wallowing in past disappointments is a fool’s game. In baseball, every season should bring fresh hope, not dire foreboding. The club is talented, diverse, entertaining, and, most important, it‘s winning. It‘s beating bad teams; 19-3 against sub.-500 teams, 13-15 against teams above .500. But it‘s not, say, 15-7 against bad teams and 10-18 against good ones. They’ve won series against the Cubs and Dodgers, both first-place teams. Winning is winning.

The Phillies are winning because Dealin’ Dave and Topper did their duty. They retained almost all of a productive lineup, added to their pitching, revised their strategies, and mostly left the boys alone.

Dealin’ Dave

With two years of poor pitching from Taijuan Walker, one of Dombrowski’s rare failures, Dombrowski in December traded two intriguing prospects to the Marlins for oft-injured left-handed starter Jesús Luzardo. To date, Luzardo is 5-0 in 10 starts with a 1.95 ERA, which ranks seventh in the majors; costs just slightly more than $6 million; and is under the Phillies’ control through 2026. He’s the steal of the hot-stove season.

With the departure of Jeff Hoffman to Toronto on a three-year, $33 million contract, Dombrowski opted to take a one-year, $8.5 million flier on Jordan Romano, a former All-Star closer for those same Blue Jays whose 2024 season was derailed by back and elbow problems. It took about three weeks for Romano to settle in, but he’s looked dominant lately, allowing no runs and just four base runners in his last nine outings before a hiccup Friday — a timely return to form as Alvarado leaves for half the season. Meanwhile, Hoffman has blown three of his last six save opportunities.

With a hole in the outfield because of the slow development of Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas, Dombrowski gambled $10 million that Max Kepler, 32, would bounce back. An abdominal injury torpedoed his 2024 season with Minnesota, where he’d had three seasons with at least 20 home runs. His RBI double Thursday in Colorado helped ensure a 2-0 win. He has five home runs, he has played well in left field, and he’s a good fit in the clubhouse.

Topper

Walker was slated for bullpen duty this season, but injuries to Ranger Suárez and Nola have afforded him seven starts. He has given up four or more earned runs just once. In 15 starts last season he gave up four or more runs seven times. He hasn’t been great, but he’s been usable, and, for a guy with a delicate makeup, Thomson’s faith in him is a big reason.

Rojas and Marsh have combined to form a passable center field platoon, with flashes of defensive excellence — again, a result of Thomson’s guidance.

But Thomson’s real genius lies in how he remade the lineup, navigated a glitchy bullpen in April, and saved his $300 million shortstop.

Romano, Orion Kerkering, and Joe Ross sputtered early, so Thomson wore out Alvarado, Matt Strahm, and, in an unlikely twist, Tanner Banks. Now they’re all clicking.

The better story is being told at the top of the lineup, where Kyle Schwarber no longer resides.

At 31, Trea Turner is having his best defensive season since 2021, the result of a spring training initiative on which Thomson insisted.

Thomson also has him hitting leadoff against left-handed pitching, told him to not worry about hitting for power, and, bang, he’s found his stroke again. He’s hitting .303, and while he has just three homers, he’s on pace to steal 35 bases for the first time since 2019. Bryson Stott hits leadoff against right-handers in a virtual second-base platoon with Edmundo Sosa, and the pair are hitting .290.

This means Schwarber and his 17 home runs can protect Harper from the No. 3 or No. 4 hole instead of leading off, and he’s become an MVP candidate. Yes, Harper’s more than 60 points below his career OPS, but he’s hitting .500 with nine RBIs during the winning streak.

Is the team perfect? Of course not.

Alec Bohm’s offense is streaky and his defense has lagged. Nick Castellanos, at $20 million, remains overpaid, but he plays hard, and he plays every day. J.T. Realmuto remains a fine defensive catcher, and he’s the spirit guide of the second-best starting rotation in the NL, but it seems that his bat gets quieter every week.

Still, the team is playing well, is fun to watch, and is winning games.

Fifty games into any season, that should be enough.