The Phillies have forced their way into the center of the trade-deadline conversation, and it’s not hard to see why. Since Don Mattingly stepped in as interim manager after Rob Thomson was fired, Philadelphia has been rolling at a level that has turned the NL East race upside down.
Entering play on July 2, the Phillies sat just 2.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves, a stunning climb for a team that was 10 games under .500 in April and then got more than 10 games above it before June ended. That kind of surge makes one thing clear: Philadelphia is buying.
A right-handed hitting outfielder has been the obvious target in most conversations, and for good reason. The Phillies have gotten very little out of their right fielders this season, so that profile remains their top need. But according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, that’s not the only area Philadelphia plans to address.
“They’ll both get starting pitchers... the Phillies are looking for a backend of the rotation type guy, but you know Dombrowski, he’ll probably be involved in the conversations that happen about Skubal,” Olney said, referencing the Phillies and Braves.
That doesn’t mean a blockbuster for Tarik Skubal is realistic. The two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner is expected to draw plenty of interest, and Philadelphia may not have the farm system depth to jump into that kind of bidding war with some of the other clubs expected to pursue him.
Still, the need for pitching is obvious. Andrew Painter was sent down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after a rough stretch, and Alan Rangel has stepped into that spot in what have basically become bullpen games. That’s not a sustainable setup for a team trying to chase down the Braves.
Aaron Nola’s season has added to the problem. He hasn’t given the Phillies much consistency, and since the start of the 2025 season, his ERA ranks third-worst in the MLB among pitchers with at least 150 innings pitched.
Even with two rotation spots in rough shape, Philadelphia has climbed this far because the rest of the roster has been carrying its weight. If the Phillies can land help in the outfield and a backend starter, they’ve got a real chance to do damage down the stretch.
In Other News...
Phillies Linked To Surprising Twins All-Star Trade Buzz
ESPNs David Schoenfield has put a different kind of Twins trade idea in the Phillies lap, one that starts with rotation depth instead of a bigger bat. Philadelphia has been searching for help on both sides of the ball, and the conversation here is whether the best way to spend its resources is to add another starter or keep chasing a right-handed hitting outfielder who better addresses the lineup.
The appeal is obvious enough for a team trying to build around a top-end rotation, but the fit is not so simple when you start weighing roles and costs. A move for Joe Ryan would strengthen the pitching mix, yet it would also mean passing on the more natural offensive answer, and the Phillies are left with the same question many contenders face this time of year: fix the staff now, or keep pushing for the kind of lineup upgrade that changes more than one inning at a time. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Roster Squeeze Feels Inevitable As Trade Deadline Nears
As the trade deadline draws closer, the Phillies path to a cleaner roster is starting to look pretty straightforward. If president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski brings in the kind of help this club has been linked to, the hardest part may not be finding upgrades - it may be deciding which depth pieces get pushed out to make room. Thats especially true with a few spots already under pressure, and the margin for error getting thinner by the day.
Rafael Marchn, Gabriel Rincones Jr., Alan Rangel and Kyle Backhus all sit in that vulnerable middle ground where opportunity has run out before production has arrived. Marchns bat has not given the Phillies much behind J.T. Realmuto and Garrett Stubbs, Rincones has been losing ground in the outfield picture, and both Rangel and Backhus are the kinds of arms a contender can replace quickly if a better option becomes available. For a team trying to sharpen its roster without weakening its depth, the deadline could bring a quiet but significant round of shuffling. [Read more 🡒]
Shohei Ohtanis All-Star Pitching Status Suddenly Feels Far Less Certain
With the 2026 MLB All-Star Game still a year away, the early picture is already taking shape for the Phillies, who are expected to have a few representatives in the event and could see Brandon Marsh line up as a starter. On the mound, Cristopher Sanchez has begun to look like a real contender to get the nod for the National League, with the pitching calendar for some of the top alternatives giving him a clearer path than he might have had a few weeks ago.
Philadelphias outlook is still fluid, though, because All-Star pitching plans have a way of changing as the season goes on and rotations get shuffled. If the scheduling around the top NL arms holds, Sanchezs case gets stronger, and Zack Wheeler remains another name worth watching for the Phillies if the league ends up looking elsewhere for its starter. [Read more 🡒]