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Phillies' general manager Dave Dombrowski isn't panicking over the team's early season struggles

When the 2026 MLB season began, it was widely thought that the National League East Division was going to be a grueling grind. As it turns out, it’s turning into an early-season nightmare for the Philadelphia Phillies.

When the season began last month, a lot of people could have envisioned them tied in the standings with the New York Mets at the end of April. However, nobody could have envisioned that it would be for last place in the NL East.

That’s where they’re at. Both teams are 9-19 after Sunday’s results. They are tied for last place behind the Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, and Washington Nationals. Yes, it deserves a double-take.

It’s the last week in April, and there is a lot of baseball left. You can’t win a division or clinch a playoff spot in April. However, you can bury yourself in the standings and make it difficult to get out and into playoff contention later in the season. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report dropped his latest MLB Power Rankings on Monday morning. It wasn’t a pretty picture for the Phillies.

Philadelphia Phillies Hit Rock Bottom With Latest Power Rankings

In the last week, Philadelphia was swept in four games by the Chicago Cubs. They then lost two out of three games to the Braves. They broke a 10-game losing streak in Atlanta, but make no mistake about it, they are in trouble early in the season.

“The 10-game losing streak mercifully came to an end via a 10-inning victory in Atlanta on Saturday—in Zack Wheeler’s first appearance since last August, no less. But those good vibes didn’t last long, with Aaron Nola getting tattooed yet again in a 6-2 loss on Sunday. It’s still early, but it also might be time to start thinking about what the Phillies might be willing and able to sell at the trade deadline,” Miller wrote.

It is early, but nobody ever stops thinking about the trade deadline. This year, it’s been pushed to early August. That’s still three-plus months away. However, if things don’t change, trade rumors are likely to creep up.

Things are so bad right now for Philadelphia that they dropped from No. 27 to No. 30, the last spot in Miller’s rankings. That spot was held last week by the Mets, who were swept at home by the Rockies. Getting swept at home by Colorado should land you at the bottom of the power rankings. It didn’t, thanks to the Phillies’ struggles.

Philadelphia Phillies Could Be Looking at Big Changes

You rarely see a manager fired in April, but that’s what happened to Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night. All of a sudden, he becomes one of the top free agent managers in the open market. Could that trigger other early-season moves? If so, does Dave Dombrowski strike?

The Phillies return home to host the San Francisco Giants. If things don’t change quickly, Rob Thomson’s seat is getting hot. With Cora a free agent and likely to get another job, it could trigger a quick hook by Dombrowski. If not, then the Phillies will really need to start thinking about players who could be traded. A big week in Philadelphia is coming up.