New Phillies boss Dombrowski plans retool, not rebuild

Dave Dombrowski wants to win again sooner rather than later.

The longtime executive moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in September as a consultant for Music City Baseball but found out this week that expansion won't be entertained for more than a year at least. So he finalized a deal Friday to become the Philadelphia Phillies’ president of baseball operations, convinced the team is not far from its first World Series title since 2008.

“I consider a retool, not a rebuild for sure,” Dombrowski said. “There’s too many good players on the club.”

He views the Phillies as “sort of a sleeping giant because they’ve got a big market. And they’ve got a good, solid owner that wants to spend money to win.”

“It’s the passionate East Coast baseball city, right? Quick to boo if things don’t work, but great to cheer,” he said. “So there’s a lot of upside potential. But then I will also say that over the last handful, half a dozen years, whatever it is, you sort of scratch your head and say, ‘Gee, I wonder why they’re not winning?’”

He cited right fielder Bryce Harper, starting pitchers Aaron Nola, Zach Wheeler and Zach Eflin, manager Joe Girardi and managing partner John Middleton as cause of hope.

“I know John wants to win. We have flexibility of finances,” Dombrowski said. “But when I say that, I don’t think it’s unlimited amount of funds. You always realize there’s some type of budget attached to that. We will work within that. But we’re also more, we want to win this year.”

Recognizable for his silver hair and ever-present smile, Dombrowski led teams to division titles in seven of the last nine seasons. He became Boston’s president of baseball operations in August 2015 and celebrated in 2018 when the Red Sox set a club...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/New-Phillies-boss-Dombrowski-plans-retool-not-15795781.php