October 15, 2024
It came too soon — a pivotal offseason for the Phillies as they scratch their heads after an embarrassing loss to the Mets in the NLDS.
The first thing the team will need to decide is what they should do with the 26 men who got them the 2-seed in the National League with 95 wins this past season. Who should stay, and who should go?
It would be lunacy to return the entire roster. They need some changes. The bullpen was obviously an issue in the playoffs, the team did not have enough contact hitters, nor did it have the best defense in place to handle the young and feisty Mets. But just how and should the team approach these necessary changes?
Our next visit to this topic will touch on a player who is a a bit of a divisive figure out in center field in Johan Rojas.
After making a flashy debut back in 2023, and a less flashy no-show contribution in that respective postseason, Rojas proved to be a liability offensively for the Phillies. But he's a great defender, and he has a ton of time to improve at just 24 years old.
The Phillies have Rojas under team control until 2030 and he did get better at the end of the 2024 season — hitting .275 in August and .255 in September. Could that offensive spark carry him closer to being an everyday outfielder next season?
| First half | Second half | |
| AB | 225 | 113 |
| Slash | .231/.267/.298 | .266/.303/.372 |
Rojas was briefly demoted to Triple-A where he hit .382 over an eight-game stretch in mid June. Injuries at the MLB level forced a premature return but the stats show the move might have scared him straight.
There is a realistic trajectory that sees Rojas get more consistent with his bat and becoming a youthful staple amid an aging veteran roster. But as he was last year at this time, Phillies front office chief Dave Dombrowski is non-commital about how the outfield might shake out next season:
"We like Rojas, but we need offensive improvement from him," Dombrowski said last week. "We have a plan this winter time, he's going to live in Clearwater. We have a plan for him from an offensive perspective. He's reduced his chase rate, he's still an outstanding defensive center fielder, he can run. But I can't say he's going to be for sure our center fielder."
It seems unlikely that both Rojas and Brandon Marsh will remain with the Phillies next season. With limited spots on the roster for upgrades, the team is going to need to find a new approach in the outfield with Nick Castellanos in right field.
Rojas is young and has years of team control left. He might be an appealing big league ready young player who could be paired with a prospect to bring a more well-rounded outfielder to the team — assuming the Phillies don't start kicking the tires on free agent prize Juan Soto.
Rojas was only permitted to make six plate appearances in the postseason against the Mets, as the team clearly was worried about his weak bat. The outfield is sort of a mess, with Marsh requiring a platoon, Castellanos woefully inconsistent and a bevy of failed bench experiments left in the wake of a team searching for stability.
Rojas feels expendable, and like a player built for a different situation than a team that feels the heat to win a World Series.
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