One Phillies Trade Target Already Clear After One Month

May 26, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

One Phillies Trade Target Already Clear After One Month

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Apr 28, 2026 7:00 AM ET

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With the Philadelphia Phillies continuing to struggle as April comes to a close, an area that should be a trade target is clear.

It was another terrible week for the Phillies, with the team losing six out of their seven games. With Philadelphia being swept by the Chicago Cubs and then losing two out of three games over the weekend to the Atlanta Braves, it is clear that the team has a lot of issues.

Through 28 games, the Phillies currently have a 9-19 record and are 10.5 games back of the Braves in the National League East already. While it is still super early in the year, Philadelphia has dug themselves into a hole that is going to be challenging to get out of.

The Phillies have the worst run differential in all of the majors by a large margin. Philadelphia is currently -54 on the year, with the New York Mets being the second-worst team in the league at -30. While run differential doesn’t mean everything, it is a good indication of the struggles of the team so far. With the team clearly struggling, they have an obvious area of need that they should be addressing as soon as possible.

Area of Need is Clear

As shown by the poor record and the terrible run differential, the offense has been the main area of concern for the team. Aside from a couple of key players like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh, the unit has not been good overall.

With all three of those players being left-handed sluggers and the right-handed hitters struggling in the lineup, it comes as no surprise that the team is not hitting against left-handed pitchers this year.

When looking at ways for them to improve, the most logical spot would be for them to get some help in the lineup, especially a right-handed hitter. Unfortunately, key players like Trea Turner, Adolis Garcia, and Alec Bohm are all struggling, and that has made the lineup look weak.

Even though it might be early to consider making trades, this is a clear need of the team if they are going to improve. However, while the need for the team might be clear, how to accomplish it is a bit tougher. Finding impact bats during the season is not an easy task, and time is also against the team as well with the bad start.

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

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