6 Players Phillies Must Pursue Ahead of Trade Deadline

The Philadelphia Phillies are entering what feels like a make-or-break trade deadline.

There are still clear holes on this roster, and they are the same ones that have caused this team to come up short in regards to getting back to the World Series.

Signs are pointing to the Phillies being aggressive ahead of July 31, with some potential blockbuster deals on the horizon.

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With that in mind, here are four players they have to to pursue.

Steven Kwan/Emmanuel Clase

These two are lumped together because Philadelphia likely can't get one without the other.

They also shouldn't look to acquire one without the other considering outfield and bullpen are the two areas that need to be upgraded the most. So if they can land both of these players in one deal, then that is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Why should these two be that the top of their list, though?

For one, Clase would be a complete gamechanger for them, giving the Phillies an elite closer under club control for the next few years that a relief corps can be built around.

Kwan would be a massive boost to a unit that doesn't hit with consistency, inserting a high-contact, low-strikeout hitter into the lineup who raises both the floor and ceiling of that group, while lengthening a lineup that is in desperate need of an all-around threatening order.

It'll be expensive to get done, but it would be worth it in 2025 and beyond.

Jhoan Duran

Duran has a 1.44 ERA across 44 outings and has converted 15 out of 17 save opportunities.

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He's also under club control through 2027, which would give Philadelphia an elite closer for the next two years during this championship window.

He's another player who would not be cheap to acquire, but he would make a massive impact on their current bullpen situation, creating a formidable backend unit that this team has been missing for some time.

David Bednar/Bryan Reynolds

When it came out that the Phillies were interested in both Bednar and Dennis Santana, there was some idea that a package could be put together to bring that duo to Philadelphia.

However, if they are interested in a multi-player deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, then Reynolds should be the other part of that bundle.

Similar to the Kwan and Clase idea, Bednar would become an important high-leverage part of their bullpen with his 2.53 ERA across 36 outings and a perfect save rate in 13 opportunities, while Reynolds would solve their need for a right-handed bat.

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Reynolds would also be a long-term play, with him under contract through 2030 at roughly a reasonable $15 million per season and a club option for 2031.

The Phillies would have to hope he turns things around at the plate since he's slashing just .225/.287/.369 with an OPS+ that's under the league average of 100. But he's been roughly 20 points above that mark for his career and has hit 20-plus homers in four straight years, which is more than what they are getting right now.

Pete Fairbanks

Fairbanks just continues to be awesome, and he might be the cheapest player on this list to land.

The Tampa Bay Rays are in a perpetual flux of selling and buying, so even though they are in the Wild Card chase, they could move the right-handed reliever ahead of the deadline to get a future asset in return.

For Philadelphia, adding him to the mix would be huge, with his 2.75 ERA in 35 outings and 15-for-18 mark in save opportunities being exactly what they need.

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