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President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and manager Rob Thomson spoke for more than an hour on Tuesday, reflecting on the Phillies¡¯ shortcomings in the NL Division Series and looking ahead to what they hope will be better times in 2025.

Here are five questions facing Philadelphia:

1. Where exactly will the club improve?

It shouldn¡¯t surprise anybody that Dombrowski revealed little about his offseason plans. It makes no sense to tell the world what you want to do.

¡°Then it¡¯s easy to say, well, if you do this, then you¡¯re getting rid of this player, right?¡± he said.

But changes are expected. Dombrowski said the Phillies need to be ¡°open-minded to exploring what¡¯s out there for us.¡±

¡°Sometimes you trade good players for good players,¡± he said.

Dombrowski suggested the Phillies are set at catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, DH and two of three outfield spots, with Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh. He said they need more starting pitching depth. He said they would like to re-sign Jeff Hoffman or Carlos Est¨¦vez, although they are unlikely to re-ink both.

But that doesn¡¯t mean there won¡¯t be changes coming.

¡°I think it really comes down to an open-mindedness of conversations and seeing where that takes you,¡± he said.

Be ready for anything.

2. Are the Phillies out on high-priced stars?

The club will be linked to free agent Juan Soto until he signs a deal, but it is unlikely they will sign him.

¡°I don¡¯t think we need to have more star players,¡± Dombrowski said. ¡°We have as many stars as about anybody in baseball.

¡°Sometimes, it¡¯s not only the star players; it¡¯s also sometimes the supporting cast.¡±

Philadelphia will have another top five payroll in 2025. Cot¡¯s Contracts projects the 40-man roster to be $262.6 million, but that¡¯s without Hoffman and/or Est¨¦vez and other potential free-agent signings. The projection already pushes the Phils past the second luxury tax threshold at $261 million. The third luxury tax threshold is $281 million.

The Phillies were reluctant to exceed the third luxury tax threshold this year because it carries harsh penalties. Could they go past it next season? Possibly, but it¡¯s difficult to imagine them rocketing past it, which is what it would take to sign somebody like Soto.

¡°I really don¡¯t have anything to say about that,¡± Dombrowski said about the 2025 payroll, ¡°because we haven¡¯t sat down and had that final discussion. But I have no indication that we¡¯re not going to continue to be aggressive.¡±

3. Is an improved approach really enough to help the offense?

Philadelphia finished fifth in baseball in runs (784) and tied for fourth in OPS (.750), but it did not look or feel like a high-powered offense entering the postseason. The Phillies think an improved offensive approach will help them next season.

They made similar comments last fall, too.

Kyle Schwarber successfully implemented an improved approach this year, striking out 18 fewer times and pulling the ball less. He also raised his batting average 51 points. If the Phillies can get others to use the entire field more, maybe they can be more consistent offensively and win with what they have. It¡¯s not a sure thing, though. Hitters are difficult to change.

4. Will there be a new leadoff hitter?

Schwarber is one of baseball¡¯s most dangerous leadoff hitters, but the Phillies are looking into changing the lineup to provide more consistency.

If they make a change, who hits first? Thomson suggested the hitter is already on the roster. Bryson Stott might make sense, but he would have to improve significantly after taking a step back this year (.671 OPS). Trea Turner fits the profile of a traditional leadoff hitter, especially if he adjusts his approach.

How about Bryce Harper? Shohei Ohtani is the Dodgers¡¯ best hitter. He hits leadoff. Francisco Lindor is the Mets¡¯ best hitter. He hits leadoff.

5. Who¡¯s the No. 5 starter?

The Phillies said Taijuan Walker will come to camp competing to be the No. 5 starter, but they need better options. Dombrowski attributed the team¡¯s mediocre finish in part to the team¡¯s struggles with the No. 5 spot.

From the time Ranger Su¨¢rez landed on the IL on July 22, Philadelphia finished 32-30. It went 22-16 (.579) when Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Cristopher S¨¢nchez started, and 10-14 (.417) when anybody else started.