Massive offseason questions loom for Phillies after shocking collapse

The Phillies’ postseason runs keep ending earlier and earlier.And now some hard decisions are at hand for the NL East champions after their rather uninspiring and flat showing in their NLDS elimination by the Mets that raises tough questions about this group’s ceiling.After starting 62-34, the Phillies went 34-37, including these four postseason games, to end the season.The team’s core is only getting older while still remaining costly and two key relievers who both came up small against the Mets in Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez are both free agents.“I would hope (they keep the core group together),” said star shortstop Trea Turner, who went 3-for-15 in the series, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia.“I think we’ve got the right guys in here.

Teams I’ve been on in the past that have won consistently have most of the team coming back.I think you’ve seen that here the last two or three years.

Some guys will come and go or whatnot, but I think we have what it takes in here and we have to find a way to get it done next year.”The Phillies are a win-now team constructed to win a championship, but this year’s postseason exit has a different feel than the previous two.Philadelphia made a stunning World Series run two years ago before falling short against the Astros, which opened its championship window.Last year’s team had a respectable run but had a disappointing finish by blowing a 3-2 series lead to the Diamondbacks in the NLCS by dropping both Game 6 and Game 7 at home.This year’s team provided the biggest gut punch of them all after looking like the best team in the sport for a decent portion of the season, entering the break with the best record.While the Phillies won their first NL East title in 13 years, a tough fan base will only remember this four-game flop against the Mets defined by a lack of hitting and a leaky bullpen.“We have a really great group,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.“We got beat in a short series.”The P...