Biggest Phillies Winners & Losers After the Trade Deadline

Reportedly, the top priority for Philadelphia heading into the trade deadline was to acquire a starting pitcher. It was the only position of need that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski didn’t address, which is great news for Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter.

They are going to continue anchoring the backend of the starting rotation, likely for the duration of the season. That is a risky proposition, especially given how poorly things went for Painter to start the year before he was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He did perform well in his return to the Big Leagues on July 31.

Nola helped snap the team’s streak of not winning a game started by anyone other than Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler or Jesus Luzardo in his last start, on Aug. 3; the streak started June 24, so hopefully this is a corner being turned.

Loser: Alec Bohm

Mattingly was seemingly penciling Bohm into the lineup on a daily basis because he didn’t have any other options to turn to. That is no longer the case with Arraez in the mix and a shuffling of the defensive alignment needing to occur.

Whenever Bryce Harper isn’t in right field, he will be back at first base. Bohm has not performed well enough to justify starting over Bryson Stott, who looks to be the new everyday third baseman with Arraez at second.

Bohm could very well be the first of the regulars to find himself on the bench more often than not, especially if he can’t get going either at the plate or defensively, which has been the case for most of 2026.

Winner: Bryan De La Cruz

One of the items on the team’s wish list was a right-handed hitter, preferably in the outfield. A hitter was acquired, but it was the exact opposite of that as a left-handed hitting infielder. That was great news for Bryan De La Cruz.

His tenure with the Phillies hasn’t been very long, but he has made an impact. In nine games and 27 plate appearances, he has two home runs and one double with six RBI, producing whenever his number is called.

He performed so well that he was starting to get some playing time against right-handed pitchers, at the expense of Gabriel Rincones Jr., too. Those opportunities may be a little more limited now, but his spot as a starter against southpaws is solidified.

Loser: Edmundo Sosa

Similar to Bohm, Sosa has not been performing at a high level this season. Even in the advantageous position against left-handed pitchers, he isn’t producing as he has in the past, and the arrival of Arraez likely pushes him further down the pecking order.

Arraez can hit lefties, so there is one platoon that is gone. Stott has earned the opportunity to play more against southpaws, hitting them very well in 2026. If he is starting at third base, it is one less spot to get Sosa into the lineup at, especially with De La Cruz and Derek Hill being the go-to platoon players in the outfield right now.

Mattingly will give playing time to the players who earn it. Right now, Sosa looks like a strict backup to Trea Turner at shortstop and might get into the lineup over Brandon Marsh and Justin Crawford against left-handed starters, but that is no longer a guarantee.