The Phillies came out of the trade deadline better than they were, but the bar was never just “better.” Luis Arraez helps a lineup that had started to look thin.
Brooks Raley and Caleb Kilian give the bullpen a couple of different looks. And yet, even after those additions, there are still obvious cracks all over the roster.
That’s what makes the rest of deadline day sting. Around the league, clubs kept finding useful players for prices the Phillies could have lived with. In several cases, they were the kind of deals that look tailor-made for Philadelphia’s needs.
A right-handed bat was right there for the taking in Taylor Ward. The Baltimore Orioles sent Ward to the Seattle Mariners for Brock Moore, Alex Hoppe and Harrison Kreiling, a modest return for an on-base machine who hits from the right side.
Given how left-handed the Phillies’ lineup already was, and how much Arraez only added to that imbalance, this was the kind of move president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski should have made a priority. With Justin Crawford, Derek Hill and Gabriel Rincones Jr. cycling through semi-regular playing time, a player like Ward would have fit neatly into the mix.
The same logic applied to the bullpen. Dombrowski added two decent arms, but Philadelphia still needed another high-leverage option, especially with José Alvarado looking far from trustworthy and Orion Kerkering’s killer instinct still in question.
Luke Weaver was available, and the New York Mets ultimately sent him and cash to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Sammy Stafura. Weaver’s 1.84 ERA would have looked awfully good in the eighth inning ahead of Jhoan Duran.
Rotation help was another obvious need, and this is where the Phillies’ passivity stands out the most. Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter have been routinely setting games on fire two out of every five days, so a dependable innings-eater would have made a lot of sense.
Instead, the Washington Nationals moved Foster Griffin to the Cleveland Guardians for Josh Hartle, Will Dion, Nick Mitchell and Kendeglys Virguez. That kind of return feels light for a team with Philadelphia’s kind of need.
There were smaller upgrades available too. Backup catcher may be one of the least glamorous jobs on the roster, but it matters, and the Phillies have been leaning on Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs behind J.T.
Realmuto without getting much value from either. The Atlanta Braves sent Joey Bart to the Chicago White Sox for Duncan Davitt, and while Bart hasn’t become the impact big leaguer some once expected from the former second overall draft pick, he’s been a solid part-time catcher for seven seasons.
That would have been a clear step up from what Philadelphia has now.
The market also offered some upside swings. Kris Bubic, a former All-Star, has been out since mid-May with a shoulder strain, and the Kansas City Royals traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Carlos Duran. There’s real uncertainty about what Bubic would look like if he returns this season, but his ceiling makes him the kind of flier the Phillies could have justified taking, especially at that price.
Then there was Jo Adell, the exact kind of power threat Philadelphia could have used if it wanted to chase more right-handed pop. The Los Angeles Angels dealt Adell to the Cleveland Guardians for Jacob Cozart.
Adell hit 37 homers last year for a rough Angels team and already has 16 this season. He brings plenty of swing-and-miss, so he wouldn’t have solved everything, but he would have offered the kind of right-handed power Nick Castellanos was supposed to supply.
And finally, Tyler Mahle was moved for next to nothing. The San Francisco Giants sent him to the Atlanta Braves for Anthony Molina, a reliever with a 6.89 career ERA.
Mahle’s season numbers still sit at a 5.13 ERA, but since returning from the Injured List in late June, he has posted a 3.79 mark over 38 innings. He wouldn’t have been the answer in a playoff game, but he could have helped get a team there, and he clearly didn’t require a premium return.
So yes, the Phillies made moves. But when the deadline dust settled, it was hard not to notice how many useful pieces were out there at prices that never felt out of reach.
In Other News...
Phillies Fans Shot In The Booth Had Everyone Saying The Same Thing
A charity auction turned into an unexpected little Phillies moment when Lewis Kalb, a substitute teacher from Medford Lakes, N.J., won the chance to call the third inning of a game on the radio. He stepped into the booth alongside regular announcers Scott Franzke and Larry Andersen, and the immediate reaction from listeners was overwhelmingly positive as his delivery came across confident and smooth.
The game itself ended in a loss for the Phillies, but Kalb's stint behind the mic became one of the night's most talked-about bright spots. Among fans and across social media, the common refrain was less about the score and more about how naturally he handled the moment, which made the whole thing feel like more than just a one-inning novelty. [Read more 🡒]
Luis Arraez Already Feels Like More Than A Phillies Trade Addition
Luis Arraez is still settling into life with the Phillies, but the fit already looks smoother than most midseason additions. Philadelphia brought in the infielder in a recent trade, and he arrives with a built-in connection to a clubhouse that is trying to lock in for October. Jhoan Duran, now the Phillies closer, knows Arraez well from their time together with the Twins, which gave the organization a familiar bridge as it worked to bring him aboard.
During the All-Star Game, Duran even encouraged Arraez to come to Philadelphia, and now the two are back on the same team with the postseason drawing closer. For a Phillies club that values cohesion as much as talent, those kinds of ties matter, especially when a new player is asked to plug in quickly. Arraez may be the newcomer on paper, but the relationship he already has in the bullpen makes this feel like more than just a deadline move. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Just Created Another Bullpen Question With Latest Roster Move
The Phillies spent part of the week reshuffling their roster to make room on the 40-man, a familiar midseason task that can quietly change the look of a clubs pitching depth. Catcher Payton Henry cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he can decide whether to stay in the organization or test the market, while the moves also helped the front office juggle some immediate needs.
The more notable wrinkle came on the pitching side, where Lou Trivino was designated for assignment and then chose free agency, leaving Philadelphia to sort through another bullpen opening. For a staff that has already had to keep one eye on available arms and another on roster flexibility, the sequence only adds to the sense that the relief group is still very much a work in progress. [Read more 🡒]