The Philadelphia Phillies did quite well with their additions at the trade deadline to address their main needs. They upgraded the outfield with Austin Hays. They added to the bullpen by acquiring Tanner Banks and Carlos Estévez, getting rid of the inconsistent Gregory Soto in the process.
They look better on paper now than they did just over a week ago.
However, could the Phillies have done more to ensure that they're World Series favorites, instead of just being strong contenders?
With starter Ranger Suárez struggling before landing on the IL, the uncertainty around Taijuan Walker and Spencer Turnbull, and Tyler Phillips's inexperience, perhaps adding a rotation arm would have been a wise insurance move. Also, acquiring a marquee player who would have guaranteed to be a huge difference-maker for the club would have been the cherry on top.
7 missed opportunities for the Phillies at the 2024 MLB trade deadline
What opportunities did the Phillies miss at the trade deadline that might have made them unbeatable? Hopefully, they won’t regret missing out on potential trades that could have played key roles in their upcoming playoff run.
The Phillies let Jack Flaherty go to their main roadblock to the World Series
For starting pitchers, at a tier below the Garrett Crochet's of the trade market, the Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty would have been available to the Phillies. Flaherty has been putting together his best season since 2019 when he was still with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 18 starts for the Tigers, Flaherty went 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 133 strikeouts in 106 2/3 innings.
Sure, he comes with some injury risk, as he encountered back issues this season. But when healthy, Flaherty is one of the best in the business. In the end, the National League rival Los Angeles Dodgers nabbed him for two prospects, catcher Thayron Liranzo and infielder Trey Sweeney.
Potentially, that would be about the equivalent of the Phillies giving up rising prospect Eduardo Tait and either José Rodríguez or Robert Moore. Would it be worth it for added rotation insurance? Perhaps, especially after seeing Flaherty's impressive Dodgers debut.