The Philadelphia Phillies magical postseason run did not come to the end that the team was hoping for. After barely sneaking into the playoffs as the six seed in the National League, the Phillies dominated in the postseason, and unexpectedly found themselves in the World Series against the Houston Astros. Unfortunately, the Astros ended up winning in six games to send Philadelphia home with a second place medal.

Losing in the playoffs always hurts, but losing in the World Series hurts even more. Championship windows in sports are extremely fickle nowadays, and anytime you find yourself on the games biggest stage, it's imperative that you find a way to win. But there's always one team that comes up short, and this year, it just so happened to be the Phillies.

The grief attached to losing the World Series is tough to overcome, but not all hope is lost for the Phillies just because they couldn't overcome the Astros to win it all this season. Let's take a look at three reasons to be optimistic about the Phillies future, even after their tough World Series loss this season.

3. The Phillies finally figured out their pitching staff

The Phillies haven't consistently had good pitching in recent seasons, whether it be struggles with their starting rotation or their bullpen. They finally managed to put all the pieces together, and it resulted in a deep playoff run that very nearly yielded a championship, and that should provide the team with a base to build off of in future seasons.

The starting rotation was led by the dominant duo of Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, with Ranger Suarez chipping in as a reliable third option as well. With Wheeler and Nola leading the way, it's always going to be tough to beat the Phillies, which is exactly what we saw this postseason. Bailey Falter emerged as a solid option throughout the season as well, but filling out the backend of the rotation with a fifth starter is a big item on their offseason to-do list.

In the bullpen, the Phillies didn't really have a plan, but it didn't matter. They had dominant late-inning arms in David Robertson and Seranthony Dominguez leading the way, and Zach Eflin went from being a starter to a reliable late-inning option as well. Adding a top tier lefty to help out in the bullpen could be another goal this offseason, but the Phillies pitching staff is in great shape moving forward.

2. The Phillies lineup is already good and should be added to this offseason

The Phillies lineup profiled as one of the best in the league heading into the season, and while that didn't necessarily end up happening, there's good reason to believe they will be even better next season. That's especially true if the Phillies end up adding another big bat to their lineup like they are expected to do this offseason.

Reinforcing their middle infield is going to be key, and it sounds like the Phillies are going to be in on the big name shortstops available in free agency this offseason. A potential target is Trea Turner, who could slot into the shortstop spot that gave Philadelphia virtually no production in the postseason. Turner is a star, and his addition, or any big name hitter for that matter, would make the Phillies even more dangerous than they already are.

Philadelphia's lineup is powered by Bryce Harper as we saw in the postseason, but there are sluggers up and down this lineup. Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins, and Nick Castellanos are all fantastic hitters, and while they didn't have great regular season campaigns, they are poised to bounce back in a big way next season.

1. The Phillies found their manager in Rob Thomson

The move that turned the Phillies season around was when they fired Joe Girardi and made Rob Thomson their interim manager. It's tough to remember now, but the Phillies were just 22-29 with Girardi in charge this season, only to turn things around with Thomson and go 65-46 the rest of the way out and make it all the way to the World Series.

Finding the right leader in the locker room is a wildly underrated aspect of the MLB, and the Phillies finally found their guy in Thomson. Thomson took charge of the Phillies and led their turnaround this season. He proved to be an adept tactician along the way, as he didn't really make many bad moves in the playoffs with his team fighting for a title.

Thomson earned a two-year contract and wiped the interim tag off the front of his job title, meaning the Phillies shouldn't have to worry about their manager for the next few seasons. That cannot be overstated, and with Thomson leading the way, Philadelphia should be able to do some damage for as long as he finds himself in charge.