3. Carlos Santana – 1B/DH, Pittsburgh Pirates
Another former Phillie on this list, the Pirates veteran first baseman will likely be dealt at the trade deadline. At the All-Star break the Pirates sit 8.5 games back of the division and eight back of the third Wild Card spot. He’s not having the most efficient year at the plate but the switch hitting first baseman is still at the top of the league in walks (26th in MLB) and pitches seem per plate appearance. But no matter what he does at the plate he provides plus defense at first which the Phillies can say they have not had in quite some time. According to ESPN, he currently ranks number 1 in dWAR for qualified first basemen with a 0.4 dWAR. The defense alone would bring much value to the Phillies especially if they plan on using Bryce Harper there most games. The switch hitting and plate discipline would be a cherry on top for this star-studded lineup.
4. Jorge Mateo – SS, Baltimore Orioles
This trade would be a true contender to contender, both teams win-now move. Baltimore would look to trade in on Mateos stellar defense and game changing speed for pitching depth or to fill other holes around the diamond. The Phillies would not be making this deal to bolster the offense, they would simply be looking for the 28-year old to bring his defensive minded glove to the infield in late game scenarios and for pinch running scenarios. Since the likes of Roman Quinn, the Phillies haven’t had game changing speed off the bench that they can plug in when needed late in winnable games. He currently sits with 22 stolen bases which ranks 7th in baseball and has been caught just three times. He boasts a 0.9 dWAR which ranks 9th amongst qualified SS in the MLB. Maybe the Phillies handcuff him to Kevin Long so he can work his magic and turn his .217 batting average and .268 on-base percentage into something more appealing as he did with Pache, Marsh, and some others on this team. The raw talent is there and the Phillies have the structure mold it into a major asset to this team.
Front offices make their money by finding valuable players on the fringes of the roster. By finding the right guys to be complimentary of and to fill in the holes left by the Superstars. Adding at the deadline doesn’t have to mean pushing all of your top end prospects in the middle of the table to add the one star. Building out a bench can be just as important and can push teams to the next level. The Phillies saw this first-hand in 2022. The team's front office will surely turn over every rock to determine the best moves to get this team to the next level.