The New York Mets eliminated the Philadelphia Phillies in four games in the NLDS, so now it’s time to look back at the 2024 season. The Phillies enjoyed their best regular season since 2011 despite the .500 record in the second half.
The Phillies got off to a dominant start to the season and looked like World Series favorites. Typically teams competing for a championship look to add impact players at the trade deadline. The Phillies were linked to multiple big-name players, particularly in the outfield, but the trades the front office made were uninspiring.
Dave Dombrowski gives uninspiring analysis of Phillies' underwhelming 2024 trade deadline
The Phillies acquired three major league players ahead of the deadline. Seranthony Domínguez was sent to Baltimore for Austin Hays, infield prospect William Bergolla was shipped to Chicago for Tanner Banks and pitching prospects George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri were dealt to Anaheim for Carlos Estévez.
“We added the players that we thought we needed to add,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in his end-of-season press conference on Tuesday.
It was an underwhelming trade deadline after hearing names like MVP Cody Bellinger, All-Star outfielder Luis Robert Jr., 2024 Cy Young candidate Garrett Crochet and All-Star closer Tanner Scott mentioned as targets for the Phillies.
Phillies trade deadline acquisitions failed to make large enough impact
Estévez was the biggest acquisition for the Phillies at the deadline. The powerful right-handed reliever posted a 2.57 ERA with six saves in eight opportunities in 20 games with the Phillies. His success didn’t carry over to the playoffs.
“We like Carlos Estévez,” Dombrowski said. “He did a good job for us, he was solid, he helped shape our bullpen. I really liked even how he threw in the postseason until he threw the pitch to Lindor. So, he was the one guy that threw the ball well before that.”
Estévez posted a respectable 3.38 ERA in 2 2/3 innings pitched in the playoffs. What he’ll be remembered for the most is the go-ahead grand slam he allowed to Francisco Lindor with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning on a pitch right down the middle in Game 4 of the NLDS that led to the Phillies’ early exit.
Banks was a low-leverage reliever for Rob Thomson to use to eat up innings. The lefty was a pleasant surprise and posted a 3.70 ERA with 23 strikeouts and only one home run allowed in 22 appearances during the regular season for the Phillies. He pitched just one inning in the playoffs and recorded two strikeouts.
Hays was brought in to give Thomson a right-handed bat in left field who could hit left-handed pitching. The Phillies viewed the 29-year-old as an everyday player, but he was unable to stay healthy enough to get anything going at the plate. He had just four at-bats in the playoffs and failed to reach base.
“We were very happy with the trades we made at the particular time,” Dombrowski said. “I've been in this role before where sometimes you make moves and they turn out great other times you make moves and they didn't really turn out as well as you would like.”