1. The Phillies end up doing nothing else at the deadline
Luckily, this option won't come to fruition, as the Phillies have already swung a trade, acquiring outfielder Austin Hays from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. Now, they need to not rest on their laurels and must keep working the trade market for more pieces.
No matter what the Phillies do, they better not just stand pat at the trade deadline. If their recent play is any indication of what the team’s true identity is, then it clearly has shown that work is still left to be done in the coming few days if they want to be a true winner.
After putting together their strongest month of the season in May with a 20-7 record, the Phillies have been trending in the wrong direction. In June, they still managed to stay above .500, but with a less impressive 15-11 record.
July has been even worse, as they have struggled to just a 9-9 record to date with upcoming tough matchups against the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians and the New York Yankees. Some could argue that the Phillies' missteps have been due to injuries to some of their key players. But a truly dominant, well-rounded team should be able to grind it out and find ways to win.
The Phillies need to address all of their weaknesses to ensure that they will be in the best shape possible going into the stretch run. Holding the status quo isn't an option. If they don’t do anything else at the deadline, other contenders will be making their own big moves, putting themselves in a better position than the Phillies.