Latest news with #Dombrowski
Miami Herald
16 hours ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
JetBlue is pulling out of the Miami airport, but will remain at FLL. See details
JetBlue Airways will halt service at Miami International Airport, the airline said on Saturday. The Long Island City-based carrier cited poor financial performance. JetBlue has a small footprint at MIA, with one or two daily flights between MIA and Boston. But 'to free aircraft for new routes, we've recently made the decision to end a small number of unprofitable flights including between Boston and Miami,' Derek Dombrowski, director of corporate communications, said in an email statement sent to the Miami Herald. The changes are effective Sept. 3, he said. Travelers booked on cancelled flights 'will have the option to fly via Fort Lauderdale or receive a full refund to their original form of payment,' Dombrowski said. The move was a business decision. 'We continually evaluate how our network is performing and make changes as needed,' Dombrowski said. JetBlue informed MIA of the changes on Friday, Greg Chin, communications director for Miami-Dade Aviation Department, said in a phone call with the Miami Herald on Saturday. He didn't elaborate on other details. JetBlue's Fort Lauderdale presence JetBlue will continue to fly to Boston from nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport as well as West Palm Beach, Dombrowski said. The airline has a strong presence at FLL. In 2024, JetBlue served about 6.8 million passengers at FLL, down 2.1% from 2023 but still the second largest carrier at that airport, only behind Spirit. It carried 19% of all travelers to and from the Broward County airport. This year, JetBlue remains FLL's second largest carrier. Through April 30, the airline had 2.2 million passengers, even though that's down 6% from the same period in 2024. In 2021, to make a larger bet on South Florida as the COVID-19 pandemic was still in full force, JetBlue expanded at MIA, adding as many as 14 daily flights, including as many as four times a day to Boston. The airline also added direct flights between MIA and New York-JFK, Newark, Los Angeles and Hartford. Since then, JetBlue has scaled back service in Miami due to falling demand. It was also slowed down by the 2024 ruling of a federal judge in Massachusetts that blocked an attempted merger with Broward-based Spirit, citing anti-competitive laws. On Saturday, JetBlue had a total of two arrivals at MIA, each one from Boston, according to the airport's flight tracker. And it had one departure, also to Boston.
New York Times
12-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Phillies MLB trade deadline primer: 3 early storylines to watch
There is an absolute in the years since Dave Dombrowski assumed control of the Phillies, and that is an active trade deadline. He has engineered 12 deadline trades in four years. He acquired two players — Brandon Marsh and Edmundo Sosa — at the 2022 deadline who are still on his roster. He's obtained others — Ian Kennedy, Rodolfo Castro and Austin Hays — who left less of a mark on the Phillies. Advertisement Dombrowski figures to be active again come July; these Phillies are in deep with a $305 million payroll. They still have flaws. The Phillies entered this season attempting to strike a difficult balance; they did not sign a free agent to a multi-year contract over the offseason, and resisted trading their best prospects. This, then, was a bridge year. The Phillies are trying to win, but without sacrificing everything. It makes this a fascinating deadline for Dombrowski, who has to issue a referendum on this roster's chances for a World Series title. Dombrowski has never been afraid to flip middle-tier prospects in July trades. He has protected his best farmhands at previous deadlines. The Phillies went deep into trade talks last summer with the Chicago White Sox regarding Garrett Crochet, a deal that would have required surrendering a massive prospect package. Those talks fizzled. There might not be a player of Crochet's caliber available at this year's July 31 deadline. Even if there is, Dombrowski has made Andrew Painter untouchable. Other prospects might have since ascended to that status. Here's a primer on what to monitor in the weeks ahead. It's no secret the Phillies will look to fortify their bullpen. It is a familiar need. The Phillies searched for bullpen help at the 2022 and 2024 trade deadlines; they went with 'proven veteran' types like David Robertson and Carlos Estévez. Under Dombrowski, the Phillies have targeted velocity when building a bullpen. They had the hardest-throwing bullpen in baseball in 2023 and the third-hardest in 2024. They've dipped to sixth in 2025 — that includes José Alvarado's high-powered fastballs from earlier this season. They could be hunting in July for more velocity. Dombrowski will go into this trade deadline knowing he'll have Alvarado, suspended by MLB until Aug. 18, for the season's final six weeks. The lefty is ineligible for the postseason if the Phillies qualify. They do not know how effective Alvarado will be upon his return, but that adds a layer to Dombrowski's decision-making. Advertisement So does this: The Phillies might have a surplus of starting pitching, depending on Aaron Nola's health and Andrew Painter's ascension, which could bump some starters to the bullpen in August or September. This matters too: This year's postseason schedule calls for an extra off day during the National League Division Series, which means a team would need only three starters in a five-game series. So a bullpen acquisition at the trade deadline has to be more than a marginal one; the Phillies might not be looking for someone to help them reach October, rather someone who can be trusted to pitch in high-leverage postseason situations. That is a high bar. Whether that pitcher becomes available or the Phillies decide to meet the price remains to be seen. Here lies, yet again, another festering problem. The Phillies entertained an outfield addition at the 2023 trade deadline, but opted to stick with Johan Rojas in center and Brandon Marsh in left. They plucked Hays from the Baltimore Orioles last July, only to see that transaction flop when Hays suffered myriad injuries. They tried another marginal addition over the offseason by signing Max Kepler to a one-year, $10 million deal. The outfield free-agent market has not borne much fruit: Anthony Santander, Tyler O'Neill, Michael Conforto and Jurickson Profar (suspended) have all struggled for various reasons. The only free-agent outfielder from the middle class who has produced, Harrison Bader, is having his best season in years. The Phillies made a bet on Kepler as a bounce-back candidate. They have hidden him against lefties through a platoon, yet Kepler is a below-average hitter overall in 2025. He's played an average left field. If the Phillies want an outfield reinforcement in July, they might have to think creatively again. Many contenders are seeking a right-handed bat. Left field, at least in the past, would be a logical place to stick one. Advertisement The Phillies entered the week tied for 25th in home runs by right-handed hitters. They've averaged 102 homers from righties over the past four seasons. They are on pace for 64 in 2025. The last time they did not have a righty who bashed 20 homers in a season (excluding 2020) was 2015. Slugging numbers are down across the sport, rendering any available power hitter a hot commodity. Some teams could simply double down on pitching and defense. The Phillies have one of the worst defensive outfields in baseball. If they cannot obtain power, maybe they rearrange things to optimize for defense. This qualifies as a good problem for the Phillies to solve, considering how much Mick Abel's stock has risen following a forgettable 2024 season. He's pitched with conviction in the majors. He has emerged as a more confident strike-thrower; it is a transformation that could entice other clubs. Abel, for now, is crucial rotation depth because Nola could be sidelined through the All-Star break. At that point, if Nola is ready, Abel would probably return to the minors. Sometime in July, the Phillies expect Andrew Painter to factor into their rotation plans. That would bump Abel even further down the depth chart. If the Phillies retain Abel, he'd still be on the outside of an initial 2026 rotation projection. The Phillies have Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez and Nola under contract, with Jesús Luzardo and Painter under club control. All of this must factor into the calculus the Phillies use in assessing Abel's place in the organization. Should the Phillies believe Abel's transformation merits a longer look, they could toy with the idea of him as a reliever for the stretch run, then revisit things in the offseason. The Phillies will receive calls on Aroon Escobar, a stocky infielder who hits the ball hard. The 20-year-old Venezuelan generated interest among clubs at last year's trade deadline despite being sidelined by persistent shin splints. Eduardo Tait, a big-bodied catcher who does not turn 19 until August, is a potential trade chip. Rival evaluators have questioned whether Tait sticks behind the plate, but that is not a universal opinion. The job requirements for a big-league catcher could be drastically different by the time Tait reaches the majors. (Top photo of Dave Dombrowski: Eric Hartline / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phillies' Dave Dombrowski Blasted for Mishandling Jeff Hoffman Negotiations
Former Philadelphia Phillies closer Jeff Hoffman has thrown the baseball at a high level for the Toronto Blue Jays in the early parts of the campaign. Currently owning a 1.46 ERA and striking out 18 hitters in 12.1 innings, Hoffman would've been the perfect arm for this Phillies team. Instead, Philadelphia allowed him to walk. Despite some of the injury concerns he faced during the offseason, signing with the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves before physicals blew up the deal, he clearly looks healthy right now. Advertisement Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Dave Dombrowski admitted that the Phillies attempted everything in their power to sign the right-hander to a new deal in the offseason. After earning his first All-Star nod during the 2024 campaign, finishing the year with a 2.17 ERA, bringing Hoffman back seemed to be the right idea. While he struggled in the second half and the postseason, that might've been more of a coaching issue than anything else. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images 'We tried to sign Hoffman, very aggressively, right?' Dombrowski said Wednesday, per The Athletic. 'They turned down our offer, and he ended up signing. At the time, he was still looking for more dollars. And then we had to make a decision on Romano or somebody else. And we just didn't feel we were going to match the dollars that he was looking to get at that time. But we were very aggressive in trying to sign him." Advertisement Despite Dombrowski's comments, Matt Gelb of The Athletic later reported that league sources said Dombrowski's framing of the situation isn't exactly how it played out, as the team wanted relievers on one-year deals. "League sources familiar with the Hoffman negotiations disagreed with Dombrowski's framing of how it unfolded. Not long into the offseason, the Phillies had signaled to agents they were interested in relievers who would come on one-year deals. The Phillies believed that Hoffman would price himself out of the team's range, as Dombrowski alluded." They got just that with Romano, who is currently playing on a one-year, $8.5 million contract. Related: Phillies Get Good News on No. 7 MLB Prospect Andrew Painter
CBS News
24-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Kody Clemens wins final bench spot on Phillies' opening day roster, Dave Dombrowski says
While nothing is official yet, the Philadelphia Phillies' 2025 opening-day roster appears to be set. Kody Clemens beat out Buddy Kennedy for the club's final bench spot, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Monday. Dombrowski said the Phillies have informed Clemens, the son of former MLB star pitcher Roger Clemens, that he's made the team. "We've always liked Kody Clemens. We think he's a big-league player," Dombrowski told reporters Monday. "I have to say, like anybody else, if there was the right trade interest, we would have been open-minded to it." Dombrowski said after talking with manager Rob Thomson, the club determined to keep Clemens over Kennedy despite the latter's perceived advantage of being a right-handed hitter. Clemens will add another left-handed hitter to an already lefty-heavy lineup. "The basic reality is that [Thomson] thought he wasn't really going to use Buddy very much early in the season anyway," He wasn't going to use him to pinch hit for some of the guys that we have." Clemens, 28, has played 90 games with the Phillies since coming over from the Detroit Tigers in a trade in the winter of 2022. Last season, the utility player hit .219/.258/.447 with five home runs and 18 RBIs. The Phillies plan on giving lefties Brandon Marsh and Max Kepler an opportunity to play every day. Johan Rojas will be the club's fourth outfielder and play when Marsh or Kepler have a day off. Dombrowski said that infielder Edmundo Sosa is also an outfield option after getting reps in during spring training. Here's what the Phils' opening day roster appears to be. We'll update it once it's finalized and official. Catcher: J.T. Realmuto, Rafael Marchán Infield: Alec Bohm, Bryce Harper, Edmundo Sosa, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Kody Clemens Outfield: Nick Castellanos, Max Kepler, Brandon Marsh, Johan Rojas DH: Kyle Schwarber Starting pitchers: Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, Taijuan Walker, Zack Wheeler Relievers: José Alvarado, Tanner Banks, Carlos Hernández, Orion Kerkering, Jordan Romano, Joe Ross, José Ruiz, Matt Strahm Injured list: Ranger Suarez
New York Times
17-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Q&A with Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long: ‘We need to have better at-bats'
CLEARWATER, Fla. — The wounds were still fresh last October when Dave Dombrowski revealed scant details from five days of organizational meetings that assessed the wreckage from a quick Phillies exit in the National League Division Series. The Phillies, their president of baseball operations said, had to be open-minded about roster changes. He was vague. Advertisement Except for one item. 'One thing I would like us to do,' Dombrowski said Oct. 15, 'and that's going to fall into Kevin Long's hands: I really would like us to use the whole field a little bit more at times.' None of this surprised Long, the Phillies' hitting coach, because he was in those meetings. Dombrowski referenced Trea Turner's observation after Game 4 — 'Personally, I think we get ourselves out. I don't think it matters who's on the mound.' — while manager Rob Thomson cited how the New York Yankees stacked opposite-field hits during the postseason. To Long, it is more complicated than that. The Phillies ranked second in the majors last season in hits to the opposite field (354). Their slugging percentage on those hits (.529) ranked third. It is something they did well for six months. But for the second straight October, the lineup was exploited. There need to be changes — the veteran hitting coach does not dispute that. Long, along with his assistants, Rafael Pena and Dustin Lind, spent the offseason seeing many of the team's hitters. 'The guys that needed somebody there,' Long said, 'we had somebody there for them.' The groundwork for an important spring has been laid. Before Monday's first full-squad workout, Long detailed how the Phillies will attempt to alter their approach. (Answers have been edited for clarity and length.) Your bosses talked at length about making adjustments with the current personnel — more of an all-fields approach. What does that look like to you? We've got a good team. We've done some nice things during the regular season. Even in the playoffs, we've done some good things. But for us to get over the top, we've got to get a little bit better, individually and collectively as a coaching staff. Maybe it's pressing guys a little bit more and really getting some buy-in in some areas where we can do a better job. Advertisement Trea saying that we got ourselves out … that part of it, we need to stay away from. We need to have better at-bats. We need to make better decisions. And when you make better decisions, you're probably seeing the ball a little bit deeper. I think that's what Rob alluded to: If we're seeing the ball deep, we're probably going to use the other field. We've got some guys that have made some strides in that area. (Brandon) Marsh has done a really good job. (Alec) Bohm, his decision-making is really, really good. (Bryson) Stott's is good. We've had some guys going the other way. Trea would be the first to tell you: He used to be really, really good at making decisions. So we got to get him back to simplifying his overall process. I'm not too concerned about it because I've seen him do it. Do I need to press him a little bit more, talk to him a little bit more about it? Probably. And I'm going to do that. I've seen (Bryce) Harper really good (to the opposite field). But it's kind of contagious. So the more guys that are kind of bought in — and I don't want to say guys aren't bought in because they understand the importance of it. It's just: How do we get them over the hump? That's just bringing it to the forefront more often. What's an example? You can't just say, 'We need to use the whole field more.' When you're trying to get buy-in, what do you discuss? It is more complicated than that. And it's more staying on top of it day-to-day. You're not letting it go for a week. Not letting it go for 10 days. Reel it back in right away. And I'd like to get to the point where we can do that in-game. When we know this pitcher's not filling up the zone. 'OK, we have to come off the throttle here.' We can't be swinging at everything. It seemed like the in-game adjustments weren't — As quick as maybe they needed to be. And we talk about it before the game. That's the thing. Like (New York Mets starter Jose) Quintana (in Game 4). We knew that this guy was going to nibble. And we knew if we weren't stubborn to the strike zone, that he was going to win. And, sure enough, he's pitching way too deep in the game. He wasn't even throwing strikes. He didn't throw two consecutive strikes in the strike zone in his first 70 pitches. (Quintana threw two straight strikes in the strike zone — coincidentally to the first batter he faced — over his first 78 pitches.) Advertisement It was a crazy number because I remember looking at it. Now, he got strikes because we expanded. Dustin, Raffy and I have talked about just being a little bit more forceful. Listen, if we piss them off — at times it's going to be that. There might be some friction. But if it's for the betterment of the team and for us to get to where we need to be, then we need to do it. A devil's advocate would say: You have a lineup of mostly established guys who are set in their ways. They have had a lot of success doing it their way. How can you make meaningful changes? We can lean on guys like Stott and Bohm and Marsh to be more superstar-type players instead of guys that kind of help the superstars. I think the world of Marsh. I think the world of Bohm and I think the world of Stott. If they were on another ballclub — and I don't need to mention names — would they be one of their better players? Absolutely. That should be where they are here. They can help quite a bit. It's time for them to turn into those stars, those guys that every team in baseball would want. There's a lot of teams that want those players. But let's not rely on Trea to get hot or Bryce or (Kyle) Schwarber. J.T. (Realmuto) is another guy. If he stays healthy and we keep him healthy, I think he's up for a big year. So there's another guy that can help us quite a bit. GO DEEPER Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber embrace October sting, plus notes on Schwarber's contract and more Turner, in particular, sticks out because he was super pull-happy, especially down the stretch. Well, they quit throwing him fastballs. He wasn't even seeing fastballs. He was swinging at everything. His chase rate went through the window. It just unraveled on him a little bit. But again, I know Trea. I know his heartbeat. I know his pulse. And Thoms is thinking about leading him off. And that plays right into this. If you put him leadoff, could it improve his approach? It's risky because we have a really good leadoff hitter. There's no debating that. We win when Kyle is leading off. But does it flip a switch for Trea? And does it help us become a better ballclub? Let's see. Turning him into a guy who … let's just score runs. We need you to score runs. Let's lead the league. Let's cause havoc on the basepaths. Let's control the strike zone. Because the more you can control the strike zone, the more you're going to be on base. We know what happens when you do that. You're one of the best players in the league. We've seen it. And what was the difference between earlier in the year and later? His chase rate was at 27, 28 (percent) and it jumped all the way up to the high 30s. When you're doing that, the game becomes really tough. And he can hit breaking balls. He's a good off-speed hitter. But you have to swing at good pitches, too. Advertisement Trea hit .295. I think he gets stepped on a little bit too much. But I will also say this: He needs to be more consistent as far as his at-bats. He's fully capable of having a competitive at-bat every single time. In your mind, what should be the group's offensive philosophy? Attacking your strikes. Attacking balls that you can hit well. For instance, anything that's away from Nick (Castellanos) is not good. He's more dangerous the closer the ball is to him. Trea is the same way. Force them to come to you. Anything away, give them. Give them. And let's just see what happens. There's guys who do a really, really good job of that. Marsh being one. Schwarber being one. But we need more help there. And these guys are capable of it. How do you implement that message this spring? More meetings. More individual meetings. More sitting guys down, having some tough conversations at times. Instead of letting them just keep going, keep going. No, we have to stop immediately and we have to bring it to the forefront. And some guys get really pissed off at that. It's not comfortable for anybody. And I'm a positive guy. We were in the top five in every offensive category. Listen, we can always do a little bit better. I want everybody to do their part. You have always preached being on time for the fastball. But, as teams are throwing fewer and fewer fastballs — especially to your lineup — does that philosophy still work? The better positioned you are with your body when your foot strikes — the more that you're on time with that, you can kind of have almost a little separation — the better hitter you're going to be. We have to do a better job of controlling our move and holding our energy. That'll allow us to react to breaking balls a little bit better. And I don't want us to be a breaking-ball-hitting team. I just want us to be competent. Advertisement Almost every pitcher throws more strikes with their fastball than they do their off-speed. So if we get ourselves in a better position that we can take the balls and pounce on some mistake breaking balls, I think we're right where we need to be. So that's going to be our focus. That's going to be what we're really honing in on with these guys. Getting a little separation. Getting in a better position where we can take some more of those off-speed pitches instead of chasing them. Then we pounce on some of the mistakes because we're in a better position. We have really good players that can make these adjustments. … They can do this. Some teams are getting really, really good. The Dodgers are coming off a world championship. So, what are we going to do? We didn't pick up a ton of guys (this offseason), so we have to take our collective bunch, and we need to find a way to be a little bit more effective. And we're going to do that. GO DEEPER After an offseason with trade chatter, Alec Bohm and Phillies embrace a new season GO DEEPER Phillies spring training preview: Thoughts on every hitter headed to camp GO DEEPER Phillies spring training preview: Thoughts on every pitcher headed to camp (Photo of Kevin Long and Brandon Marsh in 2023: John Adams / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
