Realistic Deadline Additions For The Phillies

When Dave Dombrowski spoke to the media in the Phillies dugout before their series against the Braves, he was shockingly transparent. He seems to like where the Phillies are at lineup wise, especially with Jean Segura on the way back and Bryce Harper hopefully returning by the time the Birds wrap up their preseason schedule.

 

He also made one thing abundantly clear: the Phillies are not relinquishing their top prospects. Fans always seem to want the best of both worlds, acquiring top talent without giving up any. In this trade market, with Juan Soto hovering, that won’t be the case. With how depleted the Phillies farm system is, Dombrowski is making the right call here.

 

That means that top pitching prospects Andrew Painter, Mick Abel, and Griff McGarry are all off the table, as expected. It also likely means that catcher Logan O’Hoppe, who has impressed in the minors this season, probably stays put. Outside of those four guys, the Phillies really don’t have a ton of prospects that would entice teams to give up top talent.

 

That puts the Phillies out of the running for top arms like Luis Castillo and Frankie Montas. It also takes them out of the price range for high-level center fielders such as Bryan Reynolds and Cedric Mullins, who have a few years of club control. That gives the Phillies a short list of guys who play at positions of need, would be worth next-to-nothing in terms of prospects, and would actually make them better.

 

If you were hoping for this year’s Cliff Lee, temper your expectations. I anticipate the additions to fit the mold of a Corey Dickerson or Kyle Gibson. I just hope the additions are more inspiring than Jason Vargas. That being said, the Yankees gave up three low-level prospects for a very productive player in Andrew Benintendi on Wednesday night. If that’s the price for one of the better names on the market, me likey.

 

 

Starting Pitchers

 

I would be shocked if the Phillies ended up with Tyler Mahle from the Reds. Jeff Passan wrote Wednesday that Cincinnati could ask teams to take on Mike Moustakas and his exuberant contract to make a deal work, which is a headache I don’t think the Phillies want. If they aren’t willing to take on Moustakas, then the Phils likely don’t have the best package to get Mahle from the Reds.

 

The same bodes for Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale from Cleveland, or Tarik Skubal from Detroit. Starting pitching is always valued the highest at the trade deadline, and frankly, the Phils don’t have enough enticing prospects to attract that kind of return. So, Dombrowski’s focus shifts to rental starters who will cost less.

 

Martin Perez – LHP – Texas Rangers

 

Perez, an 11-year veteran, has had a breakout year for Texas, all while playing on a measly one-year, $4 million contract. Perez was an all-star for the first time in his career this season. That, combined with his tiny contract, and that the Rangers aren’t totally out of the wild card race means his price is likely the highest of all the rental starting pitchers.

 

Perez has a 2.59 earned run average this year, by far the best of his career, to go along with a 3.4 WAR (that is good). With an expected ERA of 3.18, Perez’s good showings are likely here to stay, at least for the rest of this season. If the Phillies were able to acquire Perez, I’d be doing backflips in my living room.

 

Perez would fill a huge hole on the Phillies starting staff as a much-needed left handed starter, joining Ranger Suarez as the only lefties (I’m choosing to ignore Bailey Falter). However, part of the reason for my enthusiasm in a possible trade for Perez is because I don’t think the Phils have enough ammunition to get it done. As I said earlier, I’m also not totally convinced the Rangers want to move him. Crazier things have happened, though.

 

Nathan Eovaldi – RHP – Boston Red Sox

 

This is the guy that makes the most sense for the Phillies. Dombrowski has a connection to the Red Sox after winning a world series as the general manager, a team that Eovaldi was on. Also playing to the advantage of the Phils is that Eovaldi would likely come pretty cheap.

 

Both the Red Sox and Eovaldi have been god awful since the all-star break. Remember the game last week that the Red Sox lost by a few touchdowns? Yeah, Eovaldi started that game and surrendered NINE earned runs in two and two-thirds. That game caused his ERA to jump nearly an entire run, from 3.34 to 4.30.

 

Last night he came back down to average, as he gave up three earned runs in six innings of work, but struckout just one batter. I wouldn’t know how to feel about a trade for Eovaldi. While I do think that the nine-run outing was an obvious outlier, Eovaldi has never been a pitcher you can truly rely on in the regular season.

 

He’s often injured, and has battled injuries this season as well, missing over a month with back inflammation. Yet, when the calendar turns to October, Eovaldi absolutely shoves. He’s had just one game in 11 postseason appearances (6 starts) where he’s given up more than four runs. Screw it, I’m in. He’s better than Falter and Christopher Sanchez. Now the Red Sox just have to convince themselves that they’re sellers.

 

 

Jose Quintana – LHP – Pittsburgh Pirates

 

Quintana has been a solid, mid-rotation guy for the bulk of his career. Yet, when he showed that this season it was a mild surprise. He hasn’t had an ERA under four since 2018, and was downright terrible a year ago with an ERA of 6.43. Despite that, he’s got an ERA of 3.70 this season on a team that isn’t actively trying to win baseball games.

 

The Pirates will certainly be sellers, and they’ll just be looking to take what they can get for Quintana. While Quintana isn’t going to blow anyone away with his pitches, he’s good at getting hitters to chase out of the zone and inducing weak contact. In a hitter’s park like Citizens Bank Park, weak contract is imperative.

 

I highly doubt it would take a lot to acquire Quintana from Pittsburgh. I just hope that if Dombrowski, or any team, is going to pull the trigger for Quintana, it’s before his start on Friday night against the Phillies. It would work out perfectly for Philadelphia, as he’d be able to just replace Falter’s spot in the rotation, as he’s also slated to start Friday night.

 

Center Fielders

 

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but here it is. Matt Vierling is a decent utility guy and has been extremely productive for the Phils since coming back up from AAA. That being said, he is playing everyday out of necessity right now. He’s playing because he’s better than the trainwrecks that are Odubel Herrera and Mickey Moniak.

 

Acting like this team doesn’t need a center fielder because Vierling is merely better than those two is moronic. He’s hitting .227 with a whopping 10 extra-base hits. The Phillies need a center fielder.

 

Ian Happ – Chicago Cubs

 

Happ would undeniably cost the most of any name on either list. That’s also because he’d be the most significant upgrade to this team As I said earlier, if Benintendi was traded for three low-level pitching prospects, then I don’t expect Happ to go for too much more than that. The Phillies can absolutely make a deal like that.

 

Happ is having a career year this season, as he was an all-star for the first time. He’s slashing .282/.366/.446, with a 127 OPS+ (100 is average). He has 36 extra-base hits and 46 RBI, and would solve a lot of the Phillies issues at the top of their lineup. While he’s primarily been a corner outfielder this season, he played nearly 440 innings in center field just last season.

 

He’s at the top of my list, and should be at the top of Dombrowski’s list too. I want him in red pinstripes badly.

 

 

 Michael A. Taylor – Kansas City Royals

 

Taylor is a considerable step down from Happ offensively, which is why I think he’s the most likely to end up with the Phillies. Over the past couple years, it has felt like the Phillies have always ended up with the best of the rest at the trade deadline. Taylor fits that mold perfectly.

 

Don’t get it twisted, there’s nothing wrong with Taylor. He’s a high-average guy with good speed, and just won a gold glove a season ago, which would instantly make him the best fielder on the Phils roster. That being said, if Taylor is the main guy they plan on fixing their center field issue with, I won’t be happy.

 

Nothing against Taylor, but putting him on this team likely does next to nothing to their playoff chances. His .279 batting average would be the second best on the team, yes, but it doesn’t solve the Phils biggest offensive issue. He has just 14 extra-base hits in 229 at-bats. If you’ve watched the Phillies at all this year, you know this team is just fine in the singles department.

 

They desperately need a guy who can hit the ball in the gaps. That’s not Taylor’s game, it never has been. He’d be a major upgrade defensively, yes, and would come about as cheap as possible. But that, in and of itself, is kind of the issue, no? He will come cheap because he’s not a difference maker. The Phillies need difference makers.

 

What I Want To Happen

 

Phillies get Eovaldi for relatively cheap, and end up with Happ because Dombrowski was aggressive. With Segura close to returning, the Phillies ship Didi Gregorius out of town and put Stott at shortstop. Dombrowski somehow finds teams dumb enough to take Odubel Herrera and Jeurys Familia for some relievers, bench bats, or literally anything.

 

These moves make the Phillies competitive, and put them in a much better position to reach the postseason.

 

What Will Happen

 

The Phillies trade for the Jason Vargas equivalent of center fielders in Michael A. Taylor and get a pitcher I didn’t even list. They get no relievers, and think they’re fine with what they have. Brad Hand starts hanging sliders, Corey Knebel goes back to walking every batter he faces, and Jeurys Familia is still on the roster for some reason.

 

The Phillies, like they have for past four friggin’ years, fall apart once Eagles preseason football kicks off and don’t even sniff the playoffs.

By Matt Szczypiorski | July 28, 2022
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