With the July 30 MLB trade deadline fast approaching, the Philadelphia Phillies remain a team that most MLB insiders expect to be very active in the developing trade market over the next three weeks. While the Phillies' pursuit of outfield help continues to generate headlines with names like Luis Robert Jr., Cody Bellinger and Brent Rooker all floating around, it's become an overlooked fact that the Phillies have also been attached to some intriguing names in what's become a robust market of available closers.
Do the Phillies have to make a move for a traditional closer over the next few weeks? That's a question that's likely to garner a wide range of differing reactions and opinions from Phillies fans and baseball insiders alike. There seem to be two schools of thought regarding the Phillies' possible pursuit of a closer.
On one hand, the Phillies' unconventional method of relying on Jeff Hoffman and José Alvarado in different situations hasn't exactly been a disaster. Recently named to his first All-Star team, Jeff Hoffman is 9-for-12 in save opportunities, and Alvarado is 13-for-15. With the tandem currently 22-for-27 in save chances, an argument can be made that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
If the recent past has any influence over Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies front office decision-making, Craig Kimbrel's meltdown in key spots in the 2023 NLCS should be a stark reminder of what can happen when you become complacent with who you have closing out important ballgames in October.
Ranking 5 potential Phillies bullpen trade deadline targets
Will the Phillies swing a deal for a closer before the trade deadline? That's open to speculation. But at least we know they're looking for bullpen depth (subscription required), according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
With plenty of reporting from MLB insiders connecting the Phillies to some big names rumored to be available, we'll rank five of the closers the Phillies are reported to have some interest in by how likely a deal is to happen.