The Phillies have spent the last few months clawing their way out of an ugly start, and now they’re staring at a deadline that could shape the rest of the season. After opening 9-19 and seeing Rob Thomson fired 28 games into the year, Philadelphia has pushed itself back to 54-44 entering play on July 18, just three games behind the Braves in the NL East.
If they want to keep that chase alive, the next move has to be aggressive.
That’s the challenge for Dave Dombrowski. The Phillies need upgrades, but the market won’t make it easy.
They have to find the right fit, then beat out other teams for it, all while working with a farm system that creates some real limits. Still, there’s one club that could give them a chance to strike: the Mets.
Philadelphia’s division rival sits at the bottom of the NL East, and a recent report suggests New York is ready to listen on just about everybody. Chelsea Janes of SNY wrote on X: "As the second half begins Thursday night, it seems the time has come: A rival executive said the Mets informed their team that the sale is on, and that everyone but young stars Carson Benge, AJ Ewing, Christian Scott, Nolan McLean and the obvious, Juan Soto, is available.
That doesn’t mean everyone will go. But it means the Mets will listen on just about everyone, which is in keeping with what people familiar with their thinking have signaled for weeks,”
If that’s the market, the Phillies should be right in the middle of it. The old hesitation about trading within the division doesn’t carry nearly the same weight anymore, and if Philadelphia makes a strong enough offer, New York would take it.
The most obvious area for help is the bullpen. The Mets have several arms that would fit what the Phillies need for the stretch run, even if they won’t solve every issue on the roster. Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley and Huascar Brazoban all make sense as backend reinforcements to help set up All-Star closer Jhoan Duran.
That kind of help matters because the relief corps has become thin. Orion Kerkering is the only dependable option interim manager Don Mattingly can really count on right now, with Jonathan Bowlan emerging as another arm.
Philadelphia also badly needs a left-handed reliever, especially with Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks struggling. Raley would fill that role, and A.J.
Minter is another name worth checking on after dominating since returning from injury.
Weaver would be a tougher pull because he’s under contract for next season, but that doesn’t make him any less attractive.
The Phillies should also at least make a call on Freddy Peralta. He’s set to become a free agent after the season, and with the Mets still on the outside of the playoff picture, he profiles as one of the more obvious trade candidates in the league.
None of this figures to come cheap, especially with the Phillies dealing from a division-rival position. But with Brad Keller out for the season because of a UCL injury, the need is real. If Philadelphia wants to stay in the race, this is the kind of deadline swing it may have to take.
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Minter also addressed the reality that his name could surface in trade talk before the deadline, which only adds another layer to a season already defined by uncertainty. Rather than shy away from it, he said he wants to keep pitching well so the Mets can get something useful back if a move does come, a pragmatic mindset from a player who knows his own future may be tied to how he finishes the stretch. [Read more 🡒]