Philadelphia Phillies looking to build on fast start to 2018

Where do the Philadelphia Phillies stand at this point?

The Philadelphia Phillies have certainly improved their roster, at least on paper, at this point of the offseason. The problem is, so has much of the National League East.

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The Nationals, despite the probable loss of Bryce Harper, have upgraded their rotation by signing Anibal Sanchez and Patrick Corbin, giving them a formidable quartet with Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. The Mets have addressed their bullpen by adding Edwin Diaz and bringing back Jeurys Familia. Their lineup should be better with the addition of Robinson Cano to play second. Even the Braves, while their offseason has been quiet, should be a respectable foe, as the defending NL East champions have an exciting young nucleus that they are building around. Excluding the woeful Marlins, this is possibly the most competitive division in the majors.

If the Phillies are looking to take back the division and return to the postseason, there is still work to be done. Adding Manny Machado and Harper would be a good place to begin, but that does not mean they are the only players that can help the Phillies moving forward. Landing another solid top of the rotation arm, like Dallas Keuchel or Yusei Kikuchi, could make just as much of an impact.

The Philadelphia Phillies were one of the biggest surprises in baseball over the first four and a half months of 2018. While they have improved thus far, they still have a lot of work to do in order to build a playoff caliber team in a difficult division.