The 2024 MLB regular season will soon be entering its final month. The Philadelphia Phillies continue to play inconsistently in August. After dropping their series against the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies are 13-21 since July 11, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Only the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners have worse records during this span.
The MLB trade deadline was three weeks ago. Did the Phillies make the proper acquisitions that will help propel the club to a World Series championship this fall? Time will tell, but the club has not looked like they will make the Fall Classic since the beginning of July.
3 trade deadline deals the Phillies now wish they had made
While there are definitely some players they're likely glad to have avoided, here are three trade deadline deals the Phillies now wish they had made.
Michael Kopech
The Los Angeles Dodgers traded for White Sox reliever Michael Kopech as part of a three-team, multi-player deal involving the St. Louis Cardinals. The reliever has been exceptional for Los Angeles since the franchise acquired him.
Kopech has a perfect 0.00 ERA and 13 strikeouts in nine appearances with the Dodgers before their Aug. 23 contest versus the Tampa Bay Rays. He has converted two saves in the same amount of appearances in Aug. 16 and 18, respectively.
According to Mike DiGiovanni of the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers have a history of turning around reliever's fortunes. Los Angeles starter Clayton Kershaw commented on the skills that the organization has in making the most out of their pitching acquisitions:
" see something in you that they feel other teams might not have seen, or they feel like they can really harness and develop something in you that wasn’t there before. Sometimes, it doesn’t work, but most of the time, I feel like they get the most out of guys.”
Kopech is proving to be another example of the talent the franchise has in unlocking the potential of a pitcher. Would the reliever have the same success with the Phillies? It is interesting to ponder considering the inconsistencies Philadelphia's bullpen has demonstrated since the start of the club's erratic play in mid-July.