The Phillies have a rotation issue, and it’s one that has only sharpened as the season has gone on. Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo and Zack Wheeler give Philadelphia a strong top end, but Aaron Nola’s inconsistency and the struggles from the No. 5 spot have made starting pitching a real deadline need.
That’s where Andrew Painter enters the conversation - not necessarily as the answer for Philadelphia, but as a possible chip in a much bigger swing. Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic identified Painter as a pitcher the Phillies could use in a trade with the Detroit Tigers for Tarik Skubal, the back-to-back Cy Young-winning ace.
“The way they would do it, according to two rival executives briefed on the Tigers' thinking, is by trading Skubal for a controllable starting pitcher plus quality prospects," Sammon and Rosenthal write. "...
Among the pitchers who might fit in such a trade: ... Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies."
That framework makes Painter an obvious fit for Detroit if the Tigers were to move Skubal. Painter is young, controllable and still carries the kind of upside that keeps him in the center of trade discussions, even after a rough big-league stint this season. He posted a 7.06 ERA in 65 innings before being sent down to Triple-A.
At 23 years old and still carrying his former top-prospect shine, Painter would not be a throw-in. In a theoretical Skubal deal, he could be the headliner.
From the Phillies’ side, the appeal is easy to see. A postseason rotation built around Skubal, Sanchez, Wheeler and Luzardo would be a serious group.
But the cost would be enormous. Skubal is a half-season rental, and the price tag would almost certainly include Painter plus other premium prospects.
It’s the kind of idea that makes sense on paper if Philadelphia wants to chase the biggest name available. In practice, though, it would be a steep price to pay for only three months of Skubal.
In Other News...
Dombrowski Just Sent Phillies Fans A Surprising Deadline Message
Dave Dombrowski is already looking ahead to a future deadline, and he sounded surprisingly comfortable with where the Phillies stand. The president of baseball operations acknowledged the farm system is not the kind that usually gets praised in glowing terms, but he believes it still has enough talent to help the club make moves when the time comes. For a team that is always trying to balance winning now with keeping the pipeline useful, that matters.
The needs are clear enough: rotation help, bullpen help and another option in the outfield when the 2026 trade deadline arrives. Dombrowskis point was not that the Phillies are overflowing with prospects, but that they have enough pieces to enter those conversations, with names like Gage Wood, Aroon Escobar, Ramon Marquez, Francisco Renteria and Dante Nori potentially in the mix. For Phillies fans, the bigger question is whether that kind of flexibility turns into a real upgrade when the market opens up. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies May Finally Have An Answer To Their Biggest Lineup Problem
The Phillies finally have a chance to add a right-handed look to an outfield that has been thinned by season-ending injuries to Adolis Garcia and Johan Rojas, and the timing could hardly be more immediate. With a left-handed starter on the other side, Philadelphia has reshaped its lineup for the matchup and turned to a fresh bat from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to help balance things out.
Bryan De La Cruz is in the mix right away, starting in right field and slotting seventh as the Phillies try to squeeze more production out of a lineup that has been searching for answers against lefties. Garrett Stubbs also landed on the injured list, another small but meaningful wrinkle in a roster that keeps shifting, while Aaron Nola gets the ball in a game that carries a little extra weight for a club still sorting out how its lineup fits together. [Read more 🡒]