3 trade deadline deals the Phillies now wish they had made
Did the Phillies make the right acquisitions at the trade deadline, or were there better moves that they might be regretting not making?
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:
"[The Dodgers] 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.
Lucas Erceg
The Kansas City Royals acquired reliever Lucas Erceg from the Oakland Athletics on July 30. Entering Kansas City's scheduled contest versus the Phillies on Aug. 23, the right-hander had allowed zero runs in nine appearances with the franchise.
Erceg has successfully converted all three of his save appearances and has 14 punch outs with the Royals. He has allowed zero home runs and surrendered no walks. Greg Jewell of The Athletic wrote that the 29-year-old is fifth among relievers in holds (subscription required), with seven, during the second half of the regular season through Aug. 21.
According to Jewell, Erceg ranks second in WAR among relievers since pitching for the Royals. He has allowed only four hits and has a 0.39 WHIP. He leads all relievers with 11 "solds" — a combination of saves and holds — in the second half through Aug. 21.
The Phillies relievers who have pitched with the club for most of the regular season have not done well over the last 30 days. Jeff Hoffman has a 5.56 ERA and has surrendered 13 hits, seven earned runs, and three home runs in 11 1/3 innings over 12 appearances.
Manager Rob Thomson should no longer put José Alvarado in high-leverage situations. The left-hander has been too unreliable since July. He has a 5.40 ERA and has allowed six earned runs, nine hits, three home runs, and seven walks in 10 innings over his last 11 games.
Orion Kerkering has exhibited struggles as well. The native of Huntington Beach, California has a 4.76 ERA in 11 1/3 innings during his last 12 contests. He has surrendered 12 hits, six earned runs, two home runs, and six walks.
Erceg's performance over the last few weeks is another example of the Phillies' president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld missing out on an opportunity to add a reliever who is pitching well.
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Chisholm had an injury history during his time with the Miami Marlins. He is recovering from an ailment but has produced regularly since being traded to the New York Yankees. The Phillies did not have an interest in trading for the 26-year-old. Were they right in their decision to not pursue him if Miami was open to dealing him to a team in their division?
Before being placed on the injured list, Chisholm had a productive offensive streak with the Yankees. During the club's three-game sweep of the Phillies at the end of July, he went 6-for-14. He went 11-for-38 from Aug. 2 to 12 with seven runs and four stolen bases.
He avoided a serious UCL injury earlier this month and will return off of the 10-day injured list for the start of New York's series versus the Colorado Rockies. Will Chisholm be able to avoid going on the injured list again for the Yankees during the regular season or in the playoffs? If he can remain healthy, he could be productive offensively in a lineup featuring two of MLB's best hitters: Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
While the Yankees have featured Chisholm at third base, he has played center field as well in 2024. If the Phillies had acquired him at the deadline, he would have split time in center with Johan Rojas. Philadelphia's center fielder has limited playing experience in the minors in left and right field. He last played at either corner outfield spot in 2022. Considering the New York utility player bats left-handed, it is likely that manager Rob Thomson would platoon the two players in center.
It is possible the Phillies made the wise choice in not acquiring Chisholm based on their current roster. However, his offensive success with the Yankees is undeniable. It is something Philadelphia could use considering how unsteady the team has been offensively over the past month and a half.
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