The Philadelphia Phillies are in a dogfight. They lead the National League East, though, a dangerous position with the New York Mets breathing down their necks. At 47-32, they are the real deal and confirmed “buyers” at the July 31 trade deadline. But there is a dark cloud hanging over their title hopes.

The team’s biggest concern is with the bullpen’s disturbing trends in performance. The relief staff is 25th in MLB with a 4.63 ERA. Offseason acquisition Jordan Romano has been disastrous, with a 6.51 ERA. This became a nagging issue when closer José Alvarado was suspended. He was their best reliever, but a PED violation disqualified him for 80 games. This single event has reshaped their deadline needs from a desire to a non-negotiable necessity for a championship run.

In a recent candid conversation, Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski left little doubt about his intentions. He sees a clear path to a title. “We feel like we have a legitimate chance to win,” Dombrowski stated on The Athletic’s Starkville podcast. He knows the stakes are high with a veteran team. “Then the answer, to me, is, you may give up a little bit more than you would want to in other circumstances. But that opportunity (to win it all) doesn’t always come,” he added.

He explained his views clearly. “The postseason bullpen is a lot different than the regular-season bullpen,” Dombrowski said. He noted that in a five-game division series, a team only needs three starters. “So if you have five (starters), two of them can go into the bullpen as it is there.”

The Phillies boast a wealth of starting pitching. Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suárez, and Cristopher Sánchez form a dominant top three. That leaves Jesús Luzardo, a returning Aaron Nola, and promising rookie Mick Abel as potential bullpen forces.

When asked who might make the transition, Dombrowski remained coy but dropped a clue. “Well, I won’t speculate on names,” he replied, “because that always creates a little bit of consternation. But I would say I don’t think Zack Wheeler is that guy.”

He also clarified the team’s main trade focus. The return of Alvarado on August 19 helps them for the regular season push, but the postseason void remains. “So that really leaves the back end of the bullpen. Really much more so than anything else,” Dombrowski concluded.

This aggressive mindset sparked logical questions about potential lineup shuffles. Could the team acquire a big bat and move Bryce Harper back to the outfield? Harper himself has said he would do it for the team. However, Dombrowski poured cold water on that idea. “Well, Bryce has said that,” Dombrowski acknowledged. “Bryce will be willing to do whatever needs to be done… (But) I would really prefer not to do that.”

The front office is settled. Harper, their star, will remain at first base.

So, if not in the form of a lineup shakeup, what is the master plan?

Phillies’ October blueprint

Dombrowski pointed to his 2018 World Series-champion Boston Red Sox as a model. He envisions a similar strategy for the Phillies this October. That Red Sox team masterfully used its starting pitchers in high-leverage relief roles. David Price and Nathan Eovaldi emerged as shockingly good bullpen weapons.

This public declaration of an internal fix does not mean the Phillies will stand pat. Dombrowski is not known for his patience under the best of circumstances, and the market is full of potential moves. The team is connected to controllable, elite late-inning arms — the likes of Minnesota’s Jhoan Duran and Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase. Acquiring one of them would take a huge prospect haul, rumored to involve players such as Aidan Miller or Justin Crawford. That would take care of their closer situation for years to come.

Several other high-impact arms could also be in play. Someone like St. Louis’s Ryan Helsley or Pittsburgh’s David Bednar will be a major upgrade, but they are rentals. The Phillies could also explore veteran options like Boston’s Aroldis Chapman. The struggles of starter Aaron Nola, who holds a 1-7 record and a 6.16 ERA, add another layer. His eventual return from injury provides yet another arm that could fit perfectly into this “super bullpen” concept.

Ultimately, the path forward is a sophisticated, two-pronged attack. Dombrowski might hunt for at least one impact reliever on the trade market. Simultaneously, he will probably prepare to unleash his surplus of starting pitchers from the bullpen in October.

Of course, as Dombrowski himself cautioned, there is one crucial first step. “But you still have to make the postseason… So you can’t start planning for the postseason unless you know you’re going to make it.”