Phillies Trade Deadline Addition Becoming Untrustworthy Option

Aug 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brooks Raley (30) and catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) react to a victory against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Phillies Trade Deadline Addition Becoming Untrustworthy Option

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Sep 21, 2026 6:00 AM ET

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The Philadelphia Phillies went into the MLB trade deadline with a few areas of improvement on the roster.

One of the biggest needs the team looked to address was the bullpen, which they thought they had addressed. Along with Luis Arraez from the San Francisco Giants, the Phillies acquired right-handed relief pitcher Caleb Killian. Unfortunately, he landed on the injured list shortly after.

Another addition was made with the acquisition of left-handed reliever Brooks Raley from the New York Mets. He was expected to help give interim manager Don Mattingly a reliable southpaw option, but that has not materialized as the team had hoped.

In his time with the Phillies, Raley hasn’t come close to replicating how he performed with the Mets, with whom he had a 1.96 ERA across 45 appearances and 41.1 innings. He had 40 strikeouts and 1.5 bWAR.

Brooks Raley has not performed with Phillies

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With Philadelphia, Raley has struggled mightily. He was called upon to pitch against his former team over the weekend in relief of Andrew Painter, who threw 5.1 innings and gave up four runs. He did what he could to keep the Phillies in the game, but New York blew things open when the veteran lefty came on the mound.

Raley walked the first batter he faced, Carson Benge, and allowed a single to A.J. Ewing, which pushed Benge to third. After walking Marcus Semien to load the bases, Raley surrendered a single to Brett Baty, scoring Benge.

Mattingly was back out on the mound to make another pitching change. The veteran lefty failed to record a single out, causing his ERA since the MLB trade deadline to balloon to 8.71. He has made 15 appearances, throwing 10.1 innings and allowing 10 earned runs.

Phillies need Brooks Raley to figure it out fast

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In 41.1 innings with the Mets, Raley allowed only 12 total runs, nine of which were earned. He has struggled with the long ball with Philadelphia as well, serving up four after giving up only two with New York. His bWAR with the team is -0.4, not living up to expectations since the trade.

With a FIP of 7.45 and ERA+ of 54, Raley is falling woefully short of expectations. Expected to help stabilize the bullpen in game-game situations against left-handed hitters, he isn’t someone Mattingly has much confidence turning to at this point.

What looked to be a solid MLB trade deadline haul at the time has not panned out. Raley has to show something over the final week of the season just to earn a spot on the playoff roster, because he is pitching his way out of the conversation.

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

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