The storyline for the Philadelphia Phillies when the season began was that their bullpen would need to prove itself and see if the new faces can carry the weight similar to last year. That hope dried up and quickly turned into worry, in addition to losing José Alvarado to a PED suspension. The Phillies will certainly be buyers at the MLB trade deadline, looking for relief pitching, but a familiar foe will be looking in the same market for talent.
The 2025 MLB trade deadline is set for July 31 at 6:00 p.m. ET. The milestone part of the season pins the top teams in baseball against each other by potentially overpaying for a missing piece to a club's roster. According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, both the Phillies and New York Mets will be focused on high-leverage arms and will be going after similar relievers (subscription required).
The Phillies will have to battle the Mets in the division and at the trade deadline
Bowden believes that the NL East is well-suited for a dramatic year for a division race. Both teams are looking to add bullpen depth by the trade deadline and also have similar names of interest. This isn't great to hear as the Phillies currently sit at 40-29 and 4.5 games back of the Mets, who are 45-25. With the division rival shopping in the same talent pool, it will make the trade deadline that much more strenuous, as every move will impact the Mets and how they're operating.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has whiffed on the last two trade deadlines for the Phillies, so there's added pressure to nail this year and to help stabilize the bullpen.
Specific names weren't specified, but there are a few that have been linked to the Phillies already this year. According to MLB.com's Theo DeRosa, there are some prominent names expected to be available come late July.
St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley has been a name thrown around, given his 49 saves just a year ago led baseball. His fastball averages 99.1 mph, so he would fill the hole Alvarado has left. He also finished ninth in NL Cy Young voting with a 2.04 ERA and an All-Star appearance. He has pitched to a 3-0 record with 13 saves and a 3.75 ERA this year, so it's not as encouraging right now.
Another key name is the Washington Nationals' Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan has been a lifelong National and has pitched to a 2.25 ERA this year. He has remained consistent with 18 saves and is in the 75th percentile in ground ball rate.
The Mets have emerged into the spotlight the last two years as one of the best teams in the National League after taking down the Phillies in the NLDS last year. They'll continue to battle in the division, and now it appears they'll be battling over the same few relievers on the market. It's already annoying to Phillies fans that the Mets are even in the division title picture, but now have to go head-to-head against them at the trade deadline.