Phillies now focused on pursuing more offense before trade deadline

The Phillies pulled off their big late-inning acquisition, acquiring Jhoan Duran from Minnesota for well-regarded prospects Eduardo Tait and Mick Abel. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told the beat that the Phils will not make any other bullpen moves before tomorrow’s deadline (relayed by Matt Gelb of The Athletic and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). They’re continuing to search for a bat, most likely in the outfield. Jon Heyman of The New York Post adds that they’re seeking a right-handed hitter in particular.

Dombrowski unsurprisingly declared that Duran will take over as Philly’s closer. They’d had a committee approach to the ninth inning in recent weeks. Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering have been their preferred options since Jordan Romano pitched his way out of the early-season closing role. Strahm and Kerkering fit better in setup roles. The Phils will also recall David Robertson within the next couple weeks to work in leverage spots.

Adding an elite arm at the back of the bullpen has been Philadelphia’s priority for weeks. With that accomplished, they can turn their attention to the bottom part of the lineup. Left field is the obvious area to address. The Max Kepler signing has been a bust. Nick Castellanos isn’t performing well in the opposite corner. Second baseman Bryson Stott has also been in a rut offensively, but that’s a more difficult position to address given the scarcity of plus hitters at that position. The Phillies should have more possibilities in the corner outfield, potentially with a goal of flipping Kepler elsewhere in a second trade.

The Phils have been tied to Luis Robert Jr., who at least hits left-handed pitching and has a higher ceiling than Kepler provides. They’ve been linked to Cleveland left fielder Steven Kwan, but that’d require surrendering multiple top prospects and seems less likely after the Phils parted with significant young talent for Duran. Ramón Laureano, Davis Schneider and Dane Myers are righty-hitting outfielders who could be available. If the Phillies don’t land a notable acquisition, they’d likely give a look to former first-round pick Justin Crawford. The 21-year-old is hitting .326/.409/.428 with 31 stolen bases in 82 Triple-A games.