It's always an exciting time to be a fan of a team contending for the postseason, especially when it's right before the trade deadline. The rumors are endless. The fantasies get wilder by the day. And for Philadelphia Phillies fans, they can expect their front office to be active for an acquisition or two.
Philadelphia can certainly use some help in the bullpen, but that might not be the team's biggest need. The Phillies should probably shop for an outfielder at the trade deadline, and they need to be keenly aware of which guy to target. There's plenty of talent in the outfield across the league, and some available names are already linked to the Phillies. But fans should lessen their excitement surrounding the potential additions of Jo Adell, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and, yes, Mike Trout.
Midseason regressions should have Phillies fans less excited about trading for these three players
Jo Adell
Jo Adell was looking a prime candidate for a resurgent season. He's known to fade away as the season goes on, but he brought a different energy to the Angels early in the year. He was batting over .300 three weeks into the season. He robbed three home runs in one game. That kind of performance had teams all across the league salivating at the thought of trading for him, including the Phillies.
But Adell has come back to earth. He is batting .226 in July, going hitless in nine of his 15 games this month. His trade stock is plummeting by the day. Should the Phillies rely on someone like him to join the team and make a consistently positive difference? Fans should beware.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Gurriel Jr. wasn't having all that strong of a 2026 season before July came rolling around. But since the start of the month, he's only gotten worse. The 32-year-old entered July 22 batting 0-for-last-12, dipping his season batting average to just above the Mendoza line. This month, he is hitting .135.
Is this really the guy we can expect to come in and provide a spark? Historically, he is a solid hitter, which probably had him on the Phillies' radar, but his recent output should have fans praying that the front office glosses right over him when it comes to trade talks.
Mike Trout
Of course, the Phillies finally landing Mike Trout would be a dream come true for any fan. He's a South Jersey boy who grew up rooting for the team. He's one of the greatest players this generation. There's no debating any of that, but let's consider how much Trout would cost the Phillies, and figure out if that is worth risking the team spending on him amidst a playoff push.
Trout hit .207 in June before sustaining yet another injury that sidelined him for nearly a month. Since his return, Trout's strikeout rate has ballooned. In 36 plate appearances since his return from a hamstring injury, he's struck out 12 times, all while homering only once.
Phillies fans really need to take a deep breath and ask themselves if now is really the time for Trout to become a Phillie. The team's momentum is favorable right now. It'd be risky bringing him in, having high expectations before being let down by either more injuries or a slow start. Maybe the offseason. Maybe.
Add us as a preferred source on Google