At 47-32, the Philadelphia Phillies are exactly where they want to be. They’re sitting in sole possession of first place in the NL East and would earn one of the NL’s two byes to the Division Series if the postseason began today. They’re clear contenders to win the World Series.

But after consecutive years of playoff heartbreak, Phillies fans want to see president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski give them the best shot of winning it by going all-in at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, Dombrowski’s trade deadline plans have him doing anything but going all-in, and that’ll give Phillies fans reason to express frustration.

Dombrowski made it clear to Jayson Stark of The Athletic that he’s looking for bullpen help and, well, not much more. Sure, the Phillies don’t need rotation help, but there’s reason to believe they do need lineup help. On that front, Dombrowski said, “We like where we are right now.”

“So that really leaves the back end of the bullpen. really much more so than anything else,” he said. “Now again, you analyze what’s going on all the time, and you see what’s taking place. But I would say, first and foremost, that would be our main focus.”

Dombrowski’s complacency could wind up being the difference between the Phillies winning it all or falling short once again.

Phillies need to address their lineup, no matter how strongly Dave Dombrowski disagrees

The Phillies rank seventh in the National League in runs scored, tied for sixth in home runs and fifth in OPS. This combination is good enough to win in the regular season, thanks largely to their elite rotation, but teams they’ll be trying to beat in October like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and even New York Mets outclass them offensively.

The Phillies’ lineup is littered with big names, but many of them are past their prime. Kyle Schwarber is having another outstanding year, but he’s also their only player with more than nine home runs, as crazy as that is to say. Trea Turner has had a good year, and Bryce Harper has been good when healthy, but who else is there?

Nick Castellanos has a 112 wRC+, which is above average — but when taking his defense into account, he’s been worth just 0.2 fWAR this season. Alec Bohm has been red-hot for a couple of months now, but he has an iffy postseason resume. Max Kepler, J.T. Realmuto and Bryson Stott all have wRC+ figures below the league-average of 100. Realmuto and Stott are below 90 wRC+.

Where the Phillies really need to find additions is in their outfield. Philly needs to find a platoon partner for Kepler, and they also need to find a center fielder they can trust. Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas have been platooning in center field, and while both are excellent defenders and can run well, they’re both average to below-average offensively. Rojas, in particular, has a 57 wRC+, making him 43 percent below league average.

The top of this lineup, led by Turner, Schwarber and Harper, is formidable, but the fall-off after that trio is very real, and the lower third of the order is essentially filled with automatic outs. That’s going to have to change for the Phillies to go on a deep postseason run.

Phillies fans have not seen Dave Dombrowski go all-in yet

Dave Dombrowski is an executive known for not being afraid to trade prospects in an effort to win now. While his willingness to trade prospects has come back to bite him on numerous occasions, he’s also won World Series titles with multiple organizations. With the Phillies, though, Dombrowski has not yet gone all-in. Phillies fans would like to see that change.

The Phillies might not have tremendous depth in their farm system, but they have several top prospects to dangle. Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford, Eduardo Tait and Mick Abel are all on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list, and guys like Aroon Escobar and Griffin Burkholder shouldn’t be far behind. There’s a ton the Phillies have to offer, but Dombrowski, for whatever reason, appears hesitant to take big swings.

Phillies fans have seen him trade prospects, but they haven’t traded for a bonafide star during his tenure. It’s time for that to change.

Phillies are running out of time to win with this core

If Dombrowski won’t go all-in now, when will he with this Phillies team? This group might not be perfect as constructed, but with a couple of major moves, why can’t they win the World Series? There’s reason to believe they won’t have a better shot to win than right now.

Turner, Schwarber and Harper, their best position players, are all 32 years old. Who knows how long Turner and Harper will remain elite, and Schwarber is a free agent at the end of the year. Guys like Castellanos and Realmuto are 33 and 34 years old, respectively. On the pitching front, Zack Wheeler is 35 years old and seems hell-bent on retiring in the not-too-distant future. Aaron Nola is 32 years old and was already regressing before getting injured this season.

This core is aging quickly. Teams like the Mets, Atlanta Braves and even the Washington Nationals are in a position to improve in 2026 and beyond. If the Phillies want to win anytime soon, this might be their best chance. It’s time for Dombrowski to strike. Don’t settle for mediocrity, especially when the holes on this team are so glaringly obvious. Get relievers, improve the offense and give yourself the best chance to win a World Series. It’s really that simple.