“The farm system is just OK, at best.”

This might be the most generous sentence written by anyone this year.

So glad I am a bandwagon Phillies fan.

Corey,hold on for a minute.

You start out your column talking about Cora turning them down a second time and one of the reasons is a lineup that is cooked with old heads and a wretched bullpen. Cora knows there isn’t a darn thing he can do to improve them.

A low rated farm system with the only viable candidate is Aiden Miller dependent on how he performs in the spring. Another dip in the bargain basement section of free agency which does nothing. They have no one that would bring anything significant in a trade. I would never ask Cora a 3rd time. He knows the Phillies will not improve enough to even contemplate answering the phone a 3rd time.

Do not even contemplate signing Bohm. I have seen enough of Marsh. Turner needs to go to LF. His butchery at SS needs to be stopped. So lets see. Need a 3B, SS. Stott back to 2nd. Harper at 1B or RF depending on what happens in FA. The OF is a hot mess. Crawford and Hill are the only 2 I keep.

JT needs to be an expensive backup. (Another contract no one will trade for)

I wouldn’t be shocked if Wheeler calls it quits. Nola will give up another 40 hrs and use his lame excuses in post game interviews about not hitting the spot on an 0-2 count. Sanchez, Luzardo and Painter will be keeping the team in games.

The BP? Duran and Macfarlane but the rest can go. Kerkering and Alvarado should have never been brought back for the ’26 season. I have seen enough of Banks, Raley and Maya. Bowlan is way overrated. I saw that guy get lit up in spring training and I was shocked he made the team.

Oh and Dombrowski? Yeah he needs to go too. Mr Middleton? You will be retired before you ever get your trophy back.

Blow this mess up.

Mattingly shouldn’t be the manager next year but the best way to make that make sense is to get a new President of Baseball Operations in, who can then hire his own guy. I think it’s time to move on from Cora. This job isn’t getting more appealing unless Crawford becomes a 20 HR/20 Steal guy, Aidan Miller becomes and All-Star, and they get 3 top bullpen arms.