PHILADELPHIA _ In a span of five days earlier this month, the Washington Nationals spent $53.5 million to sign two high-leverage relievers, a pair of middle infielders, and a power-hitting first baseman. The Mets signed hard-throwing reliever Dellin Betances a week earlier, the Braves continue to wait for free agent Josh Donaldson to make a decision, and even the Marlins signed Corey Dickerson, who was the Phillies' best hitter last season after joining them at the trade deadline.
The Phillies? They invited Mikie Mahtook and four others to spring training, seeming to halt their spending after the December signings of Zack Wheeler and Didi Gregorius pushed them near the competitive balance tax.
The three teams that finished ahead of the Phillies last season have shown no signs this winter of slowing down. The Phillies will need to win roughly 10 more games than they did last season if they have any hope of competing in the National League East. Reaching the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons will be a challenge.
"We won 81 games last year and had a lot of things go wrong," general manager Matt Klentak said.
Their roster is still blemished, but the Phillies will not try to fix it by simply adding payroll. Instead, they replaced their manager, upgraded their coaching staff, signed two free agents, and are banking on improvements from their young players. A month away from spring training, the roster seems set.
If the Phillies are to reach the postseason, a lot will have to go right a season after a lot went wrong. Here's a look at what they need to happen:
