2 Phillies trade deadline needs they must address, 1 they can ignore
Are the Philadelphia Phillies a sleeping giant or a tired team ready to sit this one out? The season is young and as much as it feels like they’re headed in the wrong direction most of the time, the Phillies remain an expected contender at the trade deadline.
Too much has been invested in this ball club to not at least try to repeat the magic of last season and take one step further. They had a successful trade deadline in 2022. Doing it all over again in 2023 is a necessity if they’re going to go further.
The Phillies have some obvious trade deadline needs. Two must be addressed. Another can be easily ignored.
Phillies trade deadline need to address: The starting pitching
Possibly a fatal mistake of the Phillies was to come up short in starting pitching this offseason. Their depth is atrocious for a team hoping to contend. They have zero room for an injury. Bailey Falter should’ve began the season in Triple-A as a sixth starter. He had a much bigger role instead and ever since the Phillies have been trying to patch together a five-man rotation with Matt Strahm getting a lot of starts for them.
Even if Taijuan Walker was pitching effectively on a regular basis, the Phillies would have a glaring hole in their rotation. They’re only four men deep. Something has to be done soon with an even larger upgrade in the works closer to the trade deadline.
Poor starting pitching but more so a limited number of guys available to actually give them innings in last year’s World Series is what cost them most. Yes, the Houston Astros were a tough team to beat regardless. Having a stud number three may not have made much of a difference in the end.
We’ll never know. What we can claim is that if the Phillies want to do anything this year they’re going to need more starting pitching depth and an upgrade.
Phillies trade deadline need to address: The bullpen
The Phillies bullpen started off poorly and then went on a stretch where they seemed almost invincible. They’re a pretty average group of relievers right now. Mediocrity isn’t good enough.
An argument could be made that every type of role is in need of improvement. They have closer candidates. Unless Jose Alvarado returns from the IL and continues to shut down hitters without mercy, it’s a need to look into.
What’s strange about the Phillies bullpen is who has done well and who hasn’t. Craig Kimbrel has a 6.35 ERA after 17 innings of work while Connor Brogdon leads all relievers with 24 innings and has a 2.63 ERA. Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto continue to attempt to drop their ERAs while Andrew Vasquez and Jeff Hoffman have been two of the club’s more effective options.
Heads may roll in the bullpen. They shouldn’t be shy about doing to Kimbrel what they did to Jeurys Familia last year. The Phillies threw a bunch of veterans into their relief corps in 2022 and while it wasn’t the most effective strategy it did turn out well.
Bullpen needs at the trade deadline are inevitable for nearly every ball club. The Phillies need to start with the rotation and then move on to the bullpen options. There is one other potential need they could look into. However, they shouldn’t overextend in the least bit to address it.
Phillies trade deadline need to ignore: First baseman
An injury to Rhys Hoskins before the season even began and one to Darick Hall after 6 games has given the Phillies a hole at first base they’ve been attempting to fill with Kody Clemens on some days and third baseman Alec Bohm on others. Is this acceptable?
Clemens hasn’t been a bad player and has recently started to hit more home runs and raise his other numbers. A more flexible defender than most first basemen, he’s earning his spot. Bohm at first base isn’t so bad either if it spares us from seeing him at the hot corner.
This isn’t to say the Phillies should completely ignore the offense. Trading for a traditional first baseman is different than adding a bat somewhere else. It wouldn’t be so bad to target a third baseman to help push Edmundo Sosa back into a utility role. The same would happen with Clemens.
We have yet to see it but the Phillies could always start Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, or Kyle Schwarber at first base. Corner outfielders aren’t available in abundance at the trade deadline so they’d probably want to test those waters first before spending young talent on one.
If all the Phillies did at this year’s trade deadline was add a number three starter, a depth piece with minor league options for the rotation, and addressed the bullpen with at least one more guy, it might be all they need. The offense is what it is. They’ll hammer you one day and take out the next. One addition at first base isn’t going to change it.
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