2 reasons the Phillies will be trade deadline buyers, 2 to make them sellers

Phillies will be trade deadline buyers because they will be relevant by August 1

Before Joe Girardi was fired, it looked like the Phillies were facing another year with October virtually free aside from a few early games. Then came Rob Thomson. He took off his glasses, ripped open his suit, and let loose his cape. He was the superhero the team needed.

It’s difficult to imagine the Phillies being completely irrelevant by August 1. At .500 or even a little below is reasonable but shouldn’t be the death sentence for them to sell instead of buy. Some clubs can lean more heavily in one direction than the other. Last year’s Baltimore Orioles sold when they probably could have bought and made it to the postseason. Realizing that attending the playoffs was probably all they could accomplish, they decided to wait until the 2023 season to become one of the best teams in baseball—something they have been this season.

The Phillies are a lot different from the Orioles. They do have some up-and-coming young players but not nearly enough of their core compares to what’s going on in Baltimore. Philadelphia has been essentially in the same position since 2019. They’re a team with playoff potential. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out in many of those attempts.

All the Phillies need to do is make it into the postseason by being one of the best clubs in the National League. Grab the last seed again then take off. It worked out in 2022. As much of a burden as it is to fight your way through an extra round and on the road, it could be enough to get them to buy instead of sell this summer.