Philadelphia Phillies: It’s been a decade since there was a Red October

Another year of disappointment for the Philadelphia Phillies and their fans. It feels like a lifetime since there was a Red October and there’s no concrete end in sight.

The Phillies entered the penultimate series of the regular season two and a half games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East. That series was against the Braves as well, giving the Phillies a chance to control their own destiny as a sweep would give them sole possession of first place.

As fans in Philadelphia are used to by now, the Phillies took that golden opportunity and fell completely flat. They couldn’t muster a single win in a must-win series. The team was absolutely dominated by the Braves, ending any importance to their season.

Not even MVP favorite Bryce Harper could elevate the team as it was a collective failure by a Phillies team that has consistently underperformed. This is par for the team’s course as they have underperformed year after year and have one of the longest streaks in all of baseball when it comes to missing the playoffs.

For the 10th straight year, the Philadelphia Phillies have been eliminated from playoff contention.

There must be a great deal of change this offseason, and with Dave Dombrowski and Sam Fuld in charge, chances are this will be a very active offseason. With spots on the Phillies opening up, plenty of free agents available, and what is hopefully a blank check from John Middleton, This team could look drastically different come spring training.

Andrew McCutchen, Brad Miller, Freddy Galvis, and about half of the Phillies’ bullpen are set for free agency this offseason. Didi Gregorious and Odubel Herrera are also hopefully on their way out, which would create plenty of opportunities as the team would be looking for a starter in left and center field, third base, and shortstop.

This season may be effectively over, and there may not be a certain way to fix it, but there is hope this offseason despite the heavy heart fans currently suffer from. The Phillies just have to make the right moves for the first time in over 10 years.