The Philadelphia Phillies are entering an offseason of uncertainty after the New York Mets ended their season abruptly in the NLDS. The Phillies bullpen, which had been one of their strengths all season, failed them in Games 1 and 4 in this series, and their lineup lacked pop and consistency outside of their big names at the top of the order.

One of those bats that failed to get going was third baseman Alec Bohm. Bohm has been swinging a cold bat lately, and that continued in this series as he was benched in Game 2 in favor of Edmundo Sosa. He was later reinserted and had the Phillies' only RBI in Game 4 on a dribbler in front of the plate, but Bohm was just 1-for-13 at the plate in what was a frustrating series.

Bohm's temporary benching combined with his poor performance at the dish led many fans to speculate whether Philadelphia would try to move on from him at the end of the season despite him not being a free agent. After the game, Bohm sounded confident that he would be sticking around, according to Tim Kelly of Phillies Nation.

When asked if he was at a crossroads in his career, Bohm responded “No, I know where I’ll be next year.”

What Phillies must do this offseason to get over the hump

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Carlos Estevez (53) reacts after giving up a grand slam to New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) in the sixth inning in game four of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It seemed like the Phillies had all of the pieces to finally bring home a World Series title for the first time since 2008, but their strengths failed them in a four-game loss to the Mets in the NLDS.

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The biggest stunner was the bullpen, one of the best groups in the MLB during the season, imploding in both Games 1 and 4, which cost them both games and eventually was the main reason they were sent home.

They also struggled at the plate against a Mets pitching staff that is not bad but gettable. The Phillies managed just five runs in their three losses in this series, and three of those runs came late in blowouts that they were already out of.

While the bullpen performance was disappointing, it's hard to say that the Phillies need to add more talent to that room after the success they had throughout the season. They need to execute better in the playoffs, but they have the horses to feel good about it.

The additions should be made to the lineup, specifically by targeting a big bat like Juan Soto. Soto is the biggest name on the free-agent market this winter, and he would make a perfect addition to the Phillies' lineup next to Bryce Harper.

That would give them two big bats who can swing a game at any time, and it would take some pressure off of Nick Castellanos, who would presumably slide down to fifth in the order.