At this time last week, the Philadelphia Phillies were busy welcoming trade deadline acquisitions Jhoan Duran and Harrison Bader to the club. The Phillies had a need for a big bullpen arm and some outfield help. They accomplished both, and it only cost them three top-30 prospects.
They traded No. 4 prospect catcher Eduardo Tait and No. 6 prospect right-hander Mick Abel to the Minnesota Twins in a steal of a deal for Duran. They included No. 12 prospect outfielder Hendry Mendez in the trade for Duran's Twins teammate Bader.
As one of the trade deadline winners, according to MLB.com's Will Leitch, the Phillies made their big splash with Duran without sacrificing any of their coveted top prospects. Starting pitcher Andrew Painter (Phillies No. 1, MLB No. 8) was untouchable, even though it sounded like he was in the original asking price for Duran. Shortstop Aidan Miller (Phillies No. 2, MLB No. 18) and outfielder Justin Crawford (Phillies No. 3, MLB No. 44) also survived the deadline frenzy.
Phillies' trade deadline just put a lot of pressure on top prospects to pan out
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski could have easily gone even bigger at the deadline. He could have made even bigger moves to ensure he put the Phillies over the top for a World Series this year. However, holding on to his best prospects reaffirmed the organization's commitment to putting a competitive and contending team on the field for years to come.
The young players they kept are who the Phillies envision building future rosters around. That puts an extraordinary amount of pressure on these prospects' shoulders to pan out. Especially if the Phillies don't go all the way and win the World Series this year.
Painter has been the starting price in several trade negotiations in the past, dating back to talks for Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. and former White Sox starter Garrett Crochet. Dombrowski could have moved him for the Athletics Mason Miller, who wound up going to San Diego for a king's ransom.
But Painter has been as close to "untouchable" as a prospect can get for the Phillies. After the deadline, Dombrowski explained why, per On Pattison's Tim Kelly.
"I think [Painter] is a premier starting pitcher ... is what he projects to be," Dombrowski said, per Kelly. "Again, he's coming off of basically missing two years. Tommy John surgery, a lot of times after you throw like he has, it even takes another year to get back to where you were.
Painter's MLB debut has been delayed after the right-hander has struggled to find consistency in Triple-A. With a 4.88 ERA in 15 starts, we've blown past his original July-ish ETA. It now looks like an August debut could be a stretch, unless he turns things around in a hurry. But that hasn't diminished the Phillies' long-term outlook for the former first-round pick.
"But we just think he's really, really good," Dombrowski said, per Kelly. "Top of the rotation, has the potential to be a No. 1, No. 2 type starter for a long, long time for us. And we're right on the verge of being able to do it."
Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford need to help Phillies' lineup transition
We know that veteran stars like Bryce Harper and Trea Turner will be in Philadelphia for a long time still. But over the next couple of years the lineup will begin to look much different than the veteran-heavy starting nine it has for the last handful of seasons.
With older players moving on in the near future, the Phillies will be relying on internal pieces to help pick up the slack and usher in the next era of baseball at Citizens Bank Park. We don't know if Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto will be back next year, as both are pending free agents. Nick Castellanos is a free agent after 2026. There's also a chance that Alec Bohm won't be back after next season.
The Phillies continue to tab Miller as a shorstop. But if his bat develops like they think it will, he'll find a home somewhere on the infield. Whether that's at short, forcing Turner into a new position, or perhaps third base eventually, they will be counting on Miller to be a big presence in the lineup.
He has had his share of struggles in Double-A Reading this season, but it looks like he might finally be starting to put things together. Over his last eight games, Miller is batting .387 with a 1.099 OPS, four doubles and a home run. He also just set the Fightin Phils stolen base record with his 40th of the year.
Crawford, despite his flaws not being able to put the ball in the air, could still project as a top-of-the-order hitter. He just continues to hit, batting .325 with an .832 OPS in Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year. Despite hitting only three home runs in 409 plate appearances, he has racked up 19 doubles, three triples and has 35 steals for the IronPigs this season.
The Phillies don't want to promote Crawford to the majors unless he's going to play nearly every day. That probably won't happen until next season, when he should be baked into the preseason outfield plans.
Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that any of these prospects will reach their potential in the majors. Progression isn't linear. It could take longer than expected or might not even happen at all for some players the team is counting on for the future.
Phillies fans expect to win. Another decade-long drought between postseason appearances won't happen again under this front office regime. But if a World Series eludes this current group and these young players don't pan out, this trade deadline and this season will feel like a wasted opportunity.