Phillies: Power ranking their trade deadline needs
The Phillies need one or two more pieces to prepare for a playoff run
In the midst of a 60-game sprint, the Phillies find themselves in position to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2011. That’s also the last time they had a record better than .500 at seasons end, which is where they sit after 28 games.
Coming off Saturday’s win over Atlanta the Phillies are two games out of first place in the National League East and a half game out of the wild card. They’re in the midst of their toughest stretch of the season with five more games against the Braves and Nationals and playing four doubleheaders in 11 days.
General manager Matt Klentak has already emphasized that this is a win-now season with his acquisition of David Hale, Brandon Workman, and Heath Hembree to bulster the bullpen, but this Phillies team needs more depth.
Here are some of their biggest needs going into Monday’s trade deadline
3. One more bat
The Phillies offense, albeit inconsistent, is one of the best in baseball this season. Averaging 5.41 runs per game (third best in baseball), they have a top-five team batting average (.261), on-base percentage (.344), and OPS (.796).
For years the Phillies offense was always a bat or two short and their bench was never fully developed. This past offseason the front office put an emphasis on the bench, signing Neil Walker, Phil Gosselin, Josh Harrison, and a host of other bench options to compete for jobs in spring training.
Gosselin has demolished lefties this year and the center field platoon of Roman Quinn and Adam Haseley has held its own both in the starting lineup and off the bench. Walker, on the other hand, has not lived up to expectations on the field. Off the field and in the clubhouse he’s a great guy to have around, but he’s hitting .192 with two doubles, no home runs, and eight strikeouts in 14 games.
The Phillies need one more utility man to pair with Gosselin off the bench when Scott Kingery is in the starting lineup. This player could be a guy who mixed into the outfield with some pop or a younger version of Walker.
Matt Carpenter would be a reach if the Cardinals decide to sell, but I don’t expect them to move the fan favorite this year. Wilmer Flores has two years left with San Francisco, but his contract is reasonable with $3 million due in 2021 and a $250K buyout of his $3.5 million 2022 club option.
The Phillies don’t really need this year’s Jay Bruce or a star addition like Starling Marte, but they need at least one more bat to add depth for the stretch run.
The Phillies could use one more starting pitcher at the trade deadline
2. A back-end starting pitcher
The Phillies starting rotation has been one of their strongest assets this year with Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler driving the top of the rotation. Spencer Howard has come up with promising results and Zach Eflin has been hot and cold, though he was outstanding in his last start against Atlanta.
Jake Arrieta remains the biggest wild card in the Phillies rotation with a 0.7 WAR, 4.32 ERA, and two wins in five starts. He’s had only one “quality start” (six innings with three runs or fewer) but he certainly hasn’t been terrible, just not great.
The Phillies could be hard-pressed to move Arrieta to the bullpen given his status as a former Cy Young winner who would’ve made $20 million this year before the salaries were adjusted.
Arrieta hasn’t appeared in a regular season game as a reliever since 2012 with Baltimore when he made six relief appearances. Since that season he’s made 193 starts, but he’s not the Cy Young arm he once was.
The Phillies don’t need to get a guy like Trevor Bauer for their rotation. Once again, we’d be looking for a depth kind of player. A better version of Vince Velasquez or Nick Pivetta could be a long reliever with starting experience.
light. Related Story. Five Starting Pitcher Trade Options
Robbie Ray has long been on the Phillies wish list but he’s had a terrible season for Arizona with a 7.84 ERA and a -0.6 WAR in seven starts. He’s a lefty and a free agent after this year, so the Phillies could give him a shot and hope he rebounds under Bryan Price’s tutelage.
Royals starter Danny Duffy is another lefty out there, but he’s slated to make $15 million next year, a financial commitment the Phillies can’t make without J.T. Realmuto signed.
Lance Lynn has been the hottest name among starting pitchers coming up to the trade deadline with a 4-0 record, 1.59 ERA, and a 2.0 WAR. He wouldn’t be the swing-man we talked about earlier given his success this year, plus he’s making $9.3 million next year.
Dylan Bundy and Alex Cobb are two other names to keep an eye on if the Angels and Orioles decide to sell this year.
The Phillies need one more reliable reliever
1. Another relief pitcher
Relief pitchers are the hot commodity this year, which is why Philadelphia jumped on them early.
Despite already adding David Hale, Heath Hembree, and Brandon Workman the Phillies need at least one more reliable reliever to get through the 2020 season and hopefully into the playoffs.
The front office appeared to be relying on David Robertson coming off Tommy John surgery and helping the team late in 2020, but he’s been shut down after a setback this week in his rehab.
Workman has had his ups and downs since coming over from Boston with a 4.15 ERA in his first four games since the trade. Hembree has been outstanding as a seventh inning guy, while Hale has yet to take the field since the deal with New York.
Philadelphia Phillies
The bullpen needs a set-up man or a long reliever to stabilize the bullpen with Hector Neris, Adam Morgan, and Tommy Hunter being wild cards. Jose Alvarez is still coming back from his unfortunate injury and Ranger Suarez is coming back from COVID-19.
Greg Holland has been the most notable name on the trade block in Kansas City with Trevor Rosenthal already being sent to San Diego. Holland, a three-time All-Star, has a 3.38 ERA and only one home run allowed in 16 innings this year. He’s also got a ton of playoff experience from the Royals 2014 run where he had a 0.82 ERA and seven saves in 11 postseason games.
If the Milwaukee Brewers (14-17) decide to sell, David Phelps would be a sensible option. The righty has a 2.77 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 13 innings and a reasonable $4.5 million option in 2021 with a $250K buyout.
Matt Barnes has been too inconsistent for the Phillies to try out at this point and Josh Hader would cost them too much for too short a time. They’ll need someone like a Holland or Phelps to be their Scott Eyre and get them over the hump in 2020.