Philadelphia Phillies Have One Urgent, Obvious Need at Trade Deadline

The Philadelphia Phillies have a win now mentality and have had it for a few years now.

The Phillies made the 2022 World Series, only to fall to the Houston Astros. Since then, the Phillies have reached the National League Championship Series in 2023 and the National League Division Series in 2024, only to fall short of a return to the Fall Classic.

Philly’s roster is undeniably talented. But it’s also getting a bit on the old side, especially the batting order.

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But, between Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott, the Phils have weapons.

Same goes for the starting rotation, where potential Cy Young winner Zack Wheeler leads one of the best rotations in baseball, one that could get a key backstop in July when it is anticipated that top prospect Andrew Painter will be promoted.

But Philadelphia has one glaring need as the trade deadline approaches. It’s obvious to anyone that has watched the team this season.

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The Athletic (subscription required) recently ranked the urgency for trades at the deadline in three key areas — bats, relief pitching and starting pitching.

The Phillies topped the list at relief pitching, where due to uneven performances and a key loss they need reinforcements.

The reality is the Phillies laid the groundwork for this failure in the offseason. They allowed Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez to walk in free agency. Philly took a bit of a flier on Jordan Romano, a former All-Star who slumped with the Toronto Blue Jays. Between Romano and Jose Alvarado, the Phillies thought they had a 1-2 punch that would come through late in games.

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Romano has eight saves in 10 chances, but his ERA is an awful 7.40 in 27 games with an 0-3 record. He’s given up nearly as many earned runs (20) as he has hits.

Alvarado has seven saves in seven changes. But his 80-game MLB suspension for PED use will keep him out of any postseason action. So, Philly won’t have him to lean on.

The Phillies still have solid set-up options in Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering.  But Philadelphia will probably need someone to take over the closer role, at least partially.

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That’s why lately the Phillies have been tied to nearly every potential closer on the market. Notably, Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan is off to an exceptional start, is in the final year of team control and can be a free agent this offseason. He could be an easy mark for a Philadelphia front office that is known for being aggressive when it has a need.

And the bullpen is clearly a need.

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