Atlanta Braves fans are probably tired of seeing the Philadelphia Phillies win the division the last two years. After dominating the NL East for seven years, it's hard to see things shift in a different direction.
That's just the nature of competitive baseball, however. The good news for the Braves is that they have a young core locked up for the next few years. That is a good place to be, as it ensures they won't have to consider rebuilding anytime soon.
The same cannot be said for the Phillies, whose roster is aging, and the championship window is running out. Philly hasn't been able to get the World Series title they've desperately sought. Unfortunately for them, it seems the rest of the league thinks they're running out of time.
Braves fans will love knowing that much of the rest of league thinks the Phillies' window is closing
The Athletic's Jayson Stark recently wrote a piece about which MLB front offices, managers, and players are feeling the most heat going into the 2026 season. They asked a panel of 36 executives, former executives, managers, coaches, and scouts for their thoughts.
Philly's core of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Aaron Nola, and Zack Wheeler received the most votes at 18. It makes sense that they would have the most heat, as they've been one of the best teams in baseball the last two years. For whatever reason, they haven't been able to break through and make a deep postseason run.
“They’re getting older,” said one rival executive. “They’ve run these guys out there. They’ve spent the money. And now it’s showtime.”
Atlanta fans are happy to see the Phillies struggle with winning a World Series title. However, there is a lot of truth to this executive's comments. They have spent all of this money on players, and they aren't getting younger. The time to make that push is now. Hopefully, this never happens, and the Braves win another title before Philly does. This isn't the first time that the president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, has been in this situation.
Another executive likens where the Phillies are right now to when Dombrowski was with the Tigers. That entire roster fell off once they got older, and it cost them. Harper, Schwarber, Turner, and Nola will all be 33 this season. Realmuto will be 35, and Wheeler will be 36 this year. There isn't a lot of time left for that core to get things done.
If things don't change soon Dombrowski could be looking for a new job if the Phillies don't win it all in 2026. The patience from ownership and fans will eventually run out. Braves fans should and will hope that they fall flat on their face.