Breaking Down Phillies' Biggest Need Ahead of Trade Deadline

May 16, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski in the dugout before the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Phillies at PNC Park. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Breaking Down Phillies' Biggest Need Ahead of Trade Deadline

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Jun 30, 2026 10:03 AM ET

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The Philadelphia Phillies have been on quite the roll heading into the summer months and the team is now firmly establishing themselves as a contender once again.

After the dreadful start to the season, the Phillies have been on a roll of late. Following a great week, Philadelphia got up to 10 games over the .500 mark, making it a fantastic turnaround.

The Phillies have been led by some excellent play from some of their top players, both in the rotation, lineup, and bullpen. In the lineup, Kyle Schwarber is putting together an MVP-caliber season once again. Even though he was the runner-up last year to Shohei Ohtani, he is performing even better so far this campaign.

Furthermore, Bryce Harper is also having an excellent year, and this duo has been one of the best in baseball. However, while the lineup does have this duo playing well, they do have some concerns. At times, the batting order for Philadelphia looks short, and getting some help before the trade deadline makes sense.

Mark Feinsand of MLB recently wrote about some of the biggest needs for contenders ahead of the trade deadline. For the Phillies, it was to get help in the corner of their outfield.

Adding Corner Outfielder Makes Sense

The outfield has certainly been a topic of conversation throughout the year so far for the Phillies. This is a unit that has seen the emergence of a new star in Brandon Marsh, but the production from the other two spots has been lacking.

This season, Marsh is looking like an All-Star, slashing .322/.354/.529 with 14 home runs and 44 RBI. Going back to last year, he has been an excellent hitter, and things have really clicked for him at the plate. Unfortunately, production from the other two spots has been lackluster, and the injury to Adolis Garcia didn’t help matters.

As the Phillies look to solidify their roster, the outfield is going to be a logical place to do so. Justin Crawford has had his struggles as a rookie, and while he is highly regarded as a young player, things haven’t clicked for him. Derek Hill has been a bright spot since coming up, but sustaining his level of success is something that will be a challenge.

Overall, adding a veteran to this unit to provide some proven depth makes a lot of sense. While it will be tempting to try and make a major splash for a slugger, the Phillies might not need to do so.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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