The Phillies have been rolling since the calendar flipped to August, and that hot stretch has naturally put a spotlight on their trade deadline haul. Philadelphia is 21-7 in August and opened September with a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, so it would be easy to assume the deadline moves played a huge role in the surge.
But the latest re-grade says otherwise.
The Athletic’s Johnny Flores Jr. gave the Phillies a C- for their deadline work, a mark that lines up with the reality of how the new arrivals have actually performed. Flores called it a “Trade deadline report card: C-,” and added, “A scintillating nine-game winning streak, plus a dramatic winner in Anaheim, has helped distract from what ended up being a largely mediocre deadline for the Phillies.”
That’s the key point here: the Phillies have been excellent, but the added pieces have not driven that success in any major way.
Brooks Raley was supposed to be a meaningful bullpen addition, yet he has a 3.52 ERA in 10 appearances for Philadelphia. That’s a noticeable step back from the 1.96 ERA he posted with the New York Mets before the trade.
The return for Luis Arraez has been even shakier from a production standpoint. Caleb Kilian, who came over in that deal with the San Francisco Giants, put up a 13.50 ERA in four outings before landing on the 15-day injured list. There’s still some possibility there, but not in any way that matters for this season.
Arraez himself has been the biggest name in the group, and the most complicated fit. Getting him forced the Phillies to shuffle the lineup and the defensive alignment, moving Bryce Harper back to the outfield, Bryson Stott to third base, and Alec Bohm to first base.
In 26 games with Philadelphia, Arraez has been a net negative, with -0.2 bWAR, a .291 batting average, a .704 OPS and an 87 OPS+. He has not been a positive for the Phillies over the month since the trade.
Still, there is one clear ripple effect from his arrival. Batting in the cleanup spot appears to have helped Harper, who put together a huge August, is on a 35-game on-base streak, and is scorching hot right now.
Even with that boost, the deadline itself looks underwhelming when judged strictly on the value of the players Philadelphia added. There’s time for Arraez and Raley to turn things around, but for now a mediocre C- feels about right.
In Other News...
Phillies May Have A Luis Arraez Problem They Didn't Expect
Since the trade deadline, the Phillies have looked like the kind of club that can justify a bold move in the middle of a pennant race, and Luis Arraez has been a big reason why. Philadelphia has played like the best team in baseball over that stretch, with Arraez settling in as a steady bat and showing improved defense while batting behind Bryce Harper, a spot that has helped deepen the lineup and make the offense harder to navigate.
The complication for the Phillies may be less about what Arraez has done on the field than what it could mean next. His production has only boosted his value as he heads toward free agency, and the strong finish has reportedly put him in position to draw serious attention this winter. For a team that just found a rhythm with him in the lineup, the most important question may be whether that fit lasts beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Just Turned Gage Wood Into A Frustrating September Debate
Gage Wood spent his first full professional season doing enough to keep his name in the conversation, working his way through High-A and Double-A while giving the Phillies a reason to think about what comes next. The 2025 first-round pick logged 86 innings over 24 starts, a solid enough line to suggest the organization has a real arm on its hands, even if the production has been uneven at times.
When September arrived, though, the Phillies went in a different direction. Instead of giving Wood a look with the expanded roster, they added right-hander Grant Holman, a more experienced but lower-ceiling arm for the stretch run, which leaves Wood stuck in the awkward space prospect pitchers often find themselves in at this stage. He has made progress, but for now the path to Philadelphia remains a little more frustrating than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Are Finally Peaking At The Exact Time Fans Hoped
August ended with the Phillies playing the kind of baseball that can change the mood of a clubhouse and a city at the same time. A 21-7 month tied for the 10th-best winning percentage in team history, and it came with a run of dominance the franchise has not seen since August 1991, when Philadelphia last swept four series of three games or more in a single month. It was the sort of stretch built on a deep mix of pitching and timely production, with Cristopher Snchez, Andrew Painter, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Bryson Stott all playing notable roles.
The timing matters just as much as the numbers. Philadelphia did not just catch fire in a random patch of the schedule, it did so after the trade deadline reshaped the roster and gave the club more ways to keep winning when the games start tightening up. For a fan base that has been waiting for the group to hit its stride, this is the kind of late-summer surge that can make the rest of the season feel very different, even if the biggest questions are still ahead. [Read more 🡒]