The Phillies’ push toward the NL East race has turned the trade deadline into a live wire, and one name now floating into the conversation is a Mets starter who is still working his way back from injury.
Philadelphia has gone 45-24 since Don Mattingly took over as interim manager on April 28, trimming the gap to just 2 games behind the Braves. With the second half set to begin Thursday against the Mets, the Phillies are already being linked to a move that could help them keep that momentum rolling.
On Thursday’s SportsCenter, ESPN’s Buster Olney said the Phillies have “three different priorities” and that the biggest one is “starting pitching.’
“They want to add someone who could help them in the middle of the rotation, a No. 3-, No. 4-type starter” Olney said.
“And some of the names being talked about early are Robbie Ray of the San Francisco Giants... Clay Holmes, whose currently on the injured list, he suffered that broken fibula.
He’s going to be back sometime in August, but it makes sense the Mets at some point are going to trade him.”
Holmes is on the 60-day injured list while recovering from a fractured right fibula, and he is expected back next month. The former Yankee has gone 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA, 45 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP.
Olney also noted that the Phillies have “gained 7 1/2 games since the beginning of June,” a surge that has put them in position to chase the division down as the deadline approaches on Aug. 3.
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