3 ways the Phillies can screw up the trade deadline

The Phillies can screw up the trade deadline by not improving the bench

The Phillies starting lineup is one of the best in the game. One through nine they have players who can hit the ball out of the ballpark at any moment, and when they're going right, they're very hard to pitch to. The one issue position player-wise this Phillies team has is their depth is subpar at best.

On the bench on most nights, the Phillies have Edmundo Sosa who I like, Garrett Stubbs who I like, and Johan Rojas who has looked impressive in his short MLB stint. The Josh Harrison spot needs to be upgraded.

Bryce Harper returning to play the field is an awesome development. It allowed the Phillies to send the struggling Darick Hall down and gave the surging Jake Cave the chance to play against right-handed pitching. What it also did was leave the Phillies without a first baseman.

Alec Bohm can play there at times, but then that forced Edmundo Sosa in to play third base. Once the bench loses Sosa, it becomes incredibly weak. Adding a power-hitting infielder, ideally a first baseman, who can pinch hit in a big spot or give you some starts would be ideal here.

The Phillies don't need to acquire guys like Jaimer Candelario or C.J. Cron to start every day with how good their lineup already is, but they do need to add some thump off the bench.