The Philadelphia Phillies have some serious holes in their roster, and they’ll need to make a few moves at the trade deadline to shore things up. As all fans know, someone needs to lose their roster spot in order to accommodate a new addition, and the Phillies have a handful of guys who shouldn’t expect to remain with the team come Aug. 4.
Rafael Marchán
The Phillies’ current catching trio of J.T. Realmuto, Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchán is completely untenable. No team needs to roster three backstops, especially considering the starter is a workhorse like Realmuto, and neither one of the backups are any good.
Marchán has gotten the bulk of the second-string reps, and has hardly been better than a cardboard cutout, slashing a stomach-churning .115/.148/.192 across 81 plate appearances. Stubbs has been a smidge better, posting a .167/.250/.167 line over his 28 trips to the plate, but the difference is truly negligible.
Frankly, the Phillies would be wise to look for a more capable backup catcher to replace both Marchán and Stubbs, but considering how many other holes they need to patch at the deadline, it’s hardly a priority. However, they will need to bring in a solid bat somewhere on the field to lengthen a shaky lineup, and that player will need a roster spot.
There’s no more obvious person to throw overboard than Marchán. The 27-year-old may have had some prospect hype once upon a time, but he’s proven himself to simply not be a major league-caliber player. Stubby gets the edge over him just for his versatility in the field and usefulness as a pinch-runner, neither of which Marchán brings to the table.
Gabriel Rincones Jr.
Gabriel Rincones Jr. has been dealt a tough hand. The 25-year-old started this season on the shelf, and played in just 12 Triple-A games before being pressed into emergency duty in the majors following Adolis García’s season-ending injury. The slugging right fielder still has plenty of upside as a future long-side platoon bat, but he clearly was rushed to the big leagues and has struggled to keep up.
In 10 games with the Phillies, Rincones has collected just four hits over 34 plate appearances, failing to draw a walk and striking out nine times. His defense is also a work in progress, and he’s been losing playing time to hero of the week Derek Hill.
There’s no reason to give up on the former third-round pick at this juncture, but he may be better served returning to Lehigh Valley for a bit more seasoning and getting a less pressure-packed opportunity next season. If the Phils are able to acquire an outfielder over the next month, Rincones will probably be the one to lose his spot.
2 Phillies pitchers on the chopping block after MLB trade deadline
Alan Rangel
Swingman Alan Rangel has been the first person tasked with picking up the pieces from top prospect Andrew Painter’s disastrous debut, and he’s fared about as well as anyone expected. In three big league games, Rangel has yielded six runs across 12 innings, while striking out 13.
That’s not terrible production, and certainly worlds better than what Painter was doing, but it’s not enough volume to hold down a rotation spot long-term. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski should be kicking the tires on available veteran starting pitchers, and if he’s able to reel one in, Rangel will be the one left without a chair.
Kyle Backhus
Funky left-hander Kyle Backhus was brought in this winter to be the pseudo-Matt Strahm replacement, but asking a kid with less than one year of big league experience to step into the shoes of an All-Star was risky at best. Predictably, the experiment hasn't gone very well, with Backhus putting up a grim 6.00 ERA across 13 games with the Phils.
The club’s entire left-handed relief contingent is in dire straits, as Backhus and José Alvarado are completely untrustworthy, while journeyman Tim Mayza has used smoke and mirrors to be the best southpaw in the bullpen. That’s clearly not a dependable setup, and Dombrowski will most likely look for a battle-tested lefty on the trade market. No matter who gets brought in, Kyle Backhus and his full slate of minor league options will be the one forced to accommodate that move.
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