5 Phillies reunions we’d like to see at this year’s trade deadline

As the MLB trade deadline is quickly approaching in less than three weeks away, the Philadelphia Phillies will be looking to bolster their roster as they prepare for tight battle in the National League to get into the playoffs. From the way things are shaping up, the Phillies will most likely be in a five-team battle for the three Wild Card playoff spots down the stretch, so every game from now on will be crucial with respect to their positioning in the standings. As a result, any valuable piece the Phillies can obtain at the trade deadline could be the difference between getting into the playoffs and falling just short in the end.

In that regard, what better way to upgrade the team than to bring back some former Phillies that have fought in the trenches for the ballclub in years past. If they didn’t have as great of an impact back then, they can sure make up for it this time around. Or perhaps even better yet, the Phillies may have realized they had let someone go too soon and now that they have proven to be invaluable elsewhere, it is the right time to recruit them back to town to give them that second chance of success with the team. That would certainly be just what the doctor ordered.

In the following review, we will be taking a closer look at five former Phillies’ players that they should really consider trading for at the deadline to help this team once again this year. Among them includes former pitchers and positional players that were unexpectedly traded away or had their contracts non-tendered thus resulting in their departure to free agency.

David Robertson, New York Mets

For David Robertson, the Phillies may have been already regretting their decision the moment they did not resign him at the end of their successful 2022 season. After being acquired from the Chicago Cubs at the 2022 trade deadline, Robertson played a key role in helping the Phillies reach the postseason for the first time since 2011, along with making it all the way to the World Series championship for the first time since 2009. He may have been with the Phillies for only three months, but his impact was felt by everyone around him.

Perhaps his age may have been the reason that scared the Phillies off a bit, as he turned 38 in 2023, but he certainly has shown that he has still got plenty in the tank left in him. With the rapidly fading New York Mets this season, Robertson has performed way beyond expectations, accumulating a 3-2 record with 12 saves, a 2.06 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, giving up only nine earned runs all season, with 11 walks and 46 strikeouts over 39.1 innings pitched. He is definitely one of the lone bright spots in the Mets’ pitching staff (aside from perhaps Brooks Raley and Kodai Senga) and hence, will no doubt be heavily coveted at the trade deadline.

With Gregory Soto struggling a bit with inconsistency this year, along with José Alvarado hitting the IL with elbow inflammation for the second time this year, Robertson could be the perfect addition to the Phillies’ bullpen in terms of giving it that extra boost, as well as being the ideal insurance plan in event any of their key bullpen arms miss any extended period of time as a result of injuries.

Matt Moore, Los Angeles Angels

In the first go-around with the team back in 2021, Matt Moore certainly wasn’t at his best, making his Phillies’ tenure quite the forgettable experience for both himself and the team. Signed to a one-year contract during the 2020-21 offseason, Moore was expected to help fill the vacancy in the starting rotation left by Jake Arrieta. However, after a couple bad outings to start the 2021 season, along with enduring a couple of injuries along the way, Moore was moved interchangeably between starting and relieving for much of the season. Unfortunately he did not have much success in either role.

Moore would end up posting one of his worst career numbers with the Phillies, with a miserable record of 3-8, 6.79 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, giving up 77 earned runs including 19 home runs, 41 walks and 86 strikeouts over 102 innings pitched. Let’s just say, there was no reason for the Phillies to even think about resigning Moore at the end of the 2021 season.

However, since his departure, Moore has totally reinvented himself as a full-time reliever the past two seasons (including this year). Last year with the Texas Rangers, he sported a 5-2 record with a tidy 1.95 ERA, 205 ERA+, 1.18 WHIP with 83 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched. This year with the Los Angeles Angels, he has been practically unhittable, tallying a 3-1 record, 1.44 ERA, 310 ERA+, 0.80 WHIP, giving up only four earned runs all year, with seven walks and 21 strikeouts over 25 innings of work prior to this past Saturday. Unfortunately, an oblique injury in late May has interrupted his stellar season, but he has just been reinstated from the IL and is back now with the team following the All-Star break, just in time for the trade deadline.

With the way he has been performing so dominantly this past two years, the Phillies should definitely take a look at Moore, especially now that the Angels have fallen quite a bit behind in the playoff race, they are more likely to be sellers in the coming weeks.

Matt Vierling, Detroit Tigers

Many would recall that Matt Vierling was part of the trade package sent to Detroit that helped bring in electric closer Gregory Soto to the Phillies during the 2022-23 offseason. Prior to the trade, Vierling had been the Phillies’ ideal utilityman for the past couple of years, as he had the ability to play multiple positions in both the infield and outfield, while at the same time, provided solid production at the plate and chipped in offensively at opportune times. With the departure of Vierling, the Phillies signed Josh Harrison this past offseason to help fill the void.

However, that plan has completely failed as Harrison has struggled mightily this season, hitting a measly .219 with a .586 OPS, with only eight runs scored, two home runs, 10 RBI, three walks and 20 strikeouts in only 96 at-bats in a part-time role. For someone that had been a career .271 hitter, along with providing some much needed speed on the basepaths and solid run production, all of it has been completely absent this year with the Phillies. To make matters worse, he has been placed on the IL recently with a wrist contusion (retroactive to July 9th). Vierling, on the other hand, has done an admirable job with the Tigers, posting a .275 average, .751 OPS, with 27 runs scored, seven home runs, 24 RBI and five stolen bases while providing lineup flexibility by hitting in different spots in the lineup depending on the matchup.

Both Harrison and Edmundo Sosa haven’t been getting the job done all year as the Phillies’ utilityman, as the ballclub desperately searches for the ideal candidate to essentially replace them for the stretch run. Who better to consider now than circling back to Vierling, who will definitely be available at the trade deadline with the Tigers currently quite a distance away from playoff contention. As the saying goes, second time around is a charm.

Nick Pivetta, Boston Red Sox

A few years ago, Nick Pivetta was a part of the Phillies’ starting rotation for over a span of three years between 2017 to 2019. Unfortunately for both Pivetta and the Phillies, they weren’t his best years in his career, as overall, he cumulatively pitched to a 19-30 losing record, with a 5.50 ERA, 78 ERA+, and 1.43 WHIP, but he did possess a strong strikeout rate with 421 punchouts over 396.1 innings pitched. Ultimately, his tenure with the ballclub ended when he was traded during the COVID-shortened 2020 season to the Boston Red Sox, which netted the Phillies Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree.

Both Workman and Hembree turned out to be disastrous acquisitions for the Phillies. Not only did they perform poorly, they were non-tendered following the conclusion of the 2020 season, so practically it felt like the Phillies handed Pivetta over to the Red Sox for free. Pivetta, on the other hand, has gone on to become a solid contributor in the Red Sox’s starting rotation for the next two years, making the trade one the Phillies wished never happened.

For 2023, Pivetta had a slow start coming out of the gate as a starter, but has quickly turned it around in recent weeks after being used now primarily as a reliever. In his last 12 appearances, he holds a 2-2 record with two holds, along with a stellar 2.28 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, giving up only six earned runs with 12 walks and 33 strikeouts in just 23.2 innings pitched. More importantly, opponents have just a .124 batting average against him during that stretch.

With Pivetta having totally reinvented himself into a highly effective leverage reliever, along with the ability to easily move back into a starting role if needed, he should therefore be a valuable trade target come the 2023 trade deadline. It didn’t work so well for him the first time around with the Phillies, so this can become his redemption year with the team if the Phillies can acquire his services for the rest of the season.