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Phillies Owner Breaks Silence on Team’s Trade Deadline Plans

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Douglas Santo | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 1:24 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies currently sit on top of the National League Central, and will likely be one of the most active teams at the 2025 MLB trade deadline. The Phillies' main needs are in the outfield and the bullpen.

However, Phillies' owner John Middleton offered an interesting perspective when giving his thoughts on the Phillies' potential trade deadline plans. Middleton referenced the limited need for starting pitching until later into the playoffs and how the Phillies' deep starting pitching could help the bullpen.

"One of the things people have to realize is a bullpen in the regular season is an entirely different animal than a bullpen in the postseason," Middleton said (h/t Delaware News Journal). "You think about it, we only need three (starting) pitchers, and we won’t need our fourth pitcher until the fourth game of the (NLCS). So you need three pitchers, and everybody else goes to the bullpen."

The Phillies' starting rotation is arguably the best in the MLB, leading the league in ERA, innings pitched, and strikeout rate. Philadelphia will also be getting pitcher Aaron Nola back, who, when healthy, slots in the No. 1 or No. 2 spot behind Zach Wheeler.

This means that in the early rounds of the playoffs, the Phillies could have the options of Ranger Suarez, Jesus Luzardo, or even Christopher Sanchez, which they could use out of their bullpen. However, that doesn't mean the Phillies won't still add at the deadline. Middleton has shown that he's not afraid to make big moves or spend money to get the players needed to win.

But, Middleton also referenced an example from the 2009 season when the Phillies made multiple big trade acquisitions at the deadline after winning the World Series in 2008. Except, in 2009, despite the big moves, the Phillies couldn't win in back-to-back years.

"Every player (Ruben) brought in performed at a very high level. "And we still lost. Not only did we not win the World Series, but we exited every year one round earlier than the year before," Middleton said. "So if you empty the cupboard, you can do everything right and you still don’t win – it’s a bad call, a bad break, a bad bounce of the ball, it’s some guy who just gets ridiculously hot on the other team and beats you. You have to weigh all that."

John Middleton was asked about a possible all-in strategy at the MLB Trade Deadline.
He talked about the famously aggressive additions from 2009-2011.

"We still lost. Not only did we not win the World Series, but we exited every year one round earlier than the year before. If… pic.twitter.com/bVIjFSOd76
— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) July 18, 2025

A similar trend has transpired for the Phillies over the last few years. After reaching the World Series in 2022, Philadelphia has continued to perform well in the regular season but has fallen short in the postseason.

But Middleton did admit that you can still expect Phillies' president Dave Dombrowski to be aggressive at the deadline in 2025.

"He’s always aggressive," Middleton said. "He doesn’t have another gear besides aggressive."

Whether the Phillies do acquire a top-level relief pitcher or trust their starting pitching depth and focus on finding a suitable outfielder, the trade deadline is quickly approaching, and it should be a fun one.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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