Six relievers Phillies could acquire by trade deadline
By Matt Rappa
Six relievers the Phillies should consider acquiring by the August 31 trade deadline
The 2020 season, albeit shortened to 60 games, is well underway. Next Monday will mark one month since the slate began, and the Monday after that will represent the trade deadline. With both an expanded postseason and most teams seemingly in contention, finding a team willing to sell might be hard to come by for general manager Matt Klentak and the rest of the Philadelphia Phillies front office.
Even the 8-9 Phillies are tied with the San Diego Padres for the second National League Wild Card spot. Manager Joe Girardi‘s squad got off to a slow start to the season, but their three-game series sweep of their division-rival New York Mets helped turn things in a positive direction heading into their off-day and subsequent two-game road set opposite the Boston Red Sox at the historic Fenway Park.
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While almost all teams are still hanging around in postseason contention, there do appear to be a select few that have fallen off the wayside. Consider the Red Sox (6-16) — who have lost seven straight games — the Pittsburgh Pirates (4-14), losers of 8 of their last 10, as well as former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler‘s San Francisco Giants (8-15).
All three teams sit in last place in their respective divisions. Therefore, there may be some players — bullpen relievers, in particular — that the Phillies can acquire to help them qualify for the postseason for the first time since their disappointing 2011 National League Division Series defeat to the St. Louis Cardinals.
The following are six relievers, two each from the Red Sox, Pirates, and Giants, that the Phillies should consider to acquire ahead of the August 31 trade deadline.