Phillies Fans Won't Like This Trade Deadline Prediction From Insider

As the second half of the season starts for the Philadelphia Phillies, the team hopes to quickly create space in the National League East.

For a good chunk of the year, it has been the Phillies and New York Mets going back and forth for the top spot in the NL East.

At the All-Star break, it was Philadelphia up by a half-game, but that is an extremely slim margin.

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Even though the team has been good, there are some notable flaws that need to be addressed if they are going to be a true contender.

Unfortunately, those issues are the same ones that have plagued them in the playoffs the past two years, and this season, they have arguably gotten worse.

As the trade deadline approaches, there will be a lot of work to do for Philadelphia, but they might not be able to accomplish it all.

Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required) recently predicted the Phillies wouldn’t address one of their major issues at the trade deadline.

“Their priority is to remake a leaky bullpen by adding relievers with swing-and-miss stuff. While the Phillies could use more right-handed power for their lineup, they won’t find the kind of upgrade they want. So they’ll double down on creating the best group of pitchers they can.”

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The two most glaring needs for the team are in the outfield and bullpen.

Since Jose Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason due to the 80-game PED suspension he received, that creates a massive void they have to solve.

Unfortunately, Jordan Romano hasn’t been the answer in the closer spot, with the decision to sign him as a free agent appearing to be a poor one as of now.

If the Phillies want to be a contender, they are going to need to add an impact closer at the deadline, and that won’t be cheap.

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While the bullpen is certainly a need, so is the outfield. However, finding everything they are seeking at the might not happen for Philadelphia. And if they spend big to acquire a closer, they might be hesitant to dump more prospects to add an impact bat.

With two pressing needs and the prediction that only one will get fulfilled, the Phillies might be in a bit of trouble heading down the stretch.

The offense in the outfield let them down in 2024, and history might be repeating itself without adding an upgrade.

For more Phillies news, head over to Phillies On SI.