The Phillies, who are 27-11 since being swept by the Mets in a three-game series at Citi Field, are a season-high 10 games over .500 and hold the third wild card spot in the National League. If the season ended today, they would play Wednesday night’s opponent, the Milwaukee Brewers, in a three-game series at American Family Field for a chance to head out west to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series.
It’s a fine position to be in for a club that snuck into the playoffs last year and rode an October hot streak to the World Series.
The Phillies have done enough to warrant buying at the trade deadline. The front office will look to add upgrades to strengthen the club’s chances of winning a wild card spot and recreating the magic of last year’s run with a better ending.
In a meeting with reporters, Dombrowski laid out the Phillies’ priorities at the trade deadline. He confirmed what everyone is thinking: The Phillies are shopping for a right-handed bat.
“I think, really, what we’re looking for a little bit is somebody that can swing the bat from the right-hand side,” Dombrowski said Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. “Not just any position either. You keep a little open mindedness to that because there’s some different types of thought processes that we have.”
Ideally, the Phillies would like to add a right-handed outfielder, but that depends on how the Bryce Harper to first base experiment goes. Even though the team isn’t exactly saying which day Harper will debut at the position, the Phillies believe they’ll know if Harper is playable or not at first base by the Aug. 1 deadline.
Perhaps as a leverage play, Dombrowski hinted that the Phillies could prioritize defense and roll with a Brandon Marsh, Cristian Pache/Johan Rojas and Nick Castellanos outfield combination and forgo acquiring another right-handed hitter.
Pache could be back in three to five weeks, Rob Thomson said on his biweekly WIP Morning Show appearance on Wednesday.
“Somebody — maybe Rojas — maybe you end up playing the defense over the offense at that particular time,” Dombrowski said. “Maybe we don’t go outside the organization. I do think Pache will be back relatively soon, so that puts us in another position to get a right-handed bat out there that was swinging it really well. Let’s see how Rojas does. There’s no question that he’s outstanding defensively. So he’s going to add to your club with the speed. Maybe you don’t do anything, in that regard.”
It’s an option that’s only plausible if the Phillies are getting good production out of Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm. Turner and Bohm are batting over .300 since the break. Castellanos has gone 2-for-20 and has seen his batting average drop by 10 points. J.T. Realmuto has three hits, two for extra bases, since the break.
The Phillies will also look to add starting pitching depth. Even with the devastating Andrew Painter news, the Phillies are in an enviable position relative to other contending clubs.
Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez and Taijuan Walker are a strong top four that any team would feel comfortable with heading into October. Cristopher Sánchez has emerged as the top internal option for the No. 5 spot. He has a 2.77 ERA since being inserted into the rotation in mid June.
“I think it’s more of a situation where starting pitching depth is just something because when you go beyond our big four … [Bailey] Falter’s throwing better, [Nick] Nelson’s depth, [Mick] Abel and [Griff] McGarry are depth, but I never know how they’re going to react as young guys,” Dombrowski said. “That would be something we keep our eyes open to.”
Adding bullpen depth is not a priority, according to Dombrowski. Seranthony DomÃnguez (left oblique strain) will begin a rehab assignment over the weekend. José Alvarado (left elbow inflammation) threw out from 60 feet on Wednesday and while he is weeks away from returning, the Phillies believe they have enough backend depth to deal with another extended Alvarado option.
Phillies Nation recently made the case that the Phillies could consider building a super bullpen by adding another right-handed high leverage reliever.
No matter what path the Phillies decide to take, prices at this particular deadline could be high. The extra wild card spot and the new balanced schedule means fewer teams are out of the playoff race. Teams like the Cardinals, Mets, Padres and White Sox, four teams with low playoff odds and interesting pieces to sell, hold the keys to the deadline.
Dombrowski, who has navigated trade deadlines as a GM since the 90s, says it’s an unusual market.
“I do think things will be done,” Dombrowski said. “I think there’s only a handful of teams that have really declared that they’re moving players. I think there’s also a group of clubs that are pretty much saying, ‘Let’s see what happens,’ and may go past the last weekend. That would not surprise me, so you have to be prepared for that.”
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