Phillies' Top Priority at MLB Trade Deadline Must Be To Improve Bullpen

As the Philadelphia Phillies battle with the New York Mets for the top spot in the National League East, the team has a couple of areas that they need to improve.

It has been a solid season so far for the Phillies in 2025, but with high expectations, they haven’t run away with the division by any means.

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Coming into the year, Philadelphia was a team that was expected to lean heavily on their starting rotation and that’s exactly what they have done. The Phillies have received some excellent performances from Zack Wheeler, Christopher Sanchez, and Ranger Suarez this campaign.

Even though Aaron Nola has been injured and wasn’t performing well before heading to the injured list, the rotation has been one of the best in baseball.

While the starting rotation has been excellent, they haven’t been supported much by the bullpen behind them. This unit was an issue for the team in the playoffs last season, and that has continued this year.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, Philadelphia will likely be aggressive with the bullpen.

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Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the top priority for the Phillies at the trade deadline being to revamp their bullpen.  

“Long story short, this pen is a hot mess. The only reliever with at least 10 innings pitched and either an ERA or FIP below 2.95 is the one who is about 50 games into an 80-game suspension and won't be eligible for the postseason (José Alvarado).”

With a bullpen ERA in the bottom half of the league, this is a clear need for Philadelphia. They recently got proactive in free agency and added the top reliever available on that market in David Robertson.

The veteran right-hander is coming off a strong campaign with the Texas Rangers but remained unsigned largely due to money. The Phillies signed the 40-year-old to a significant deal for the remainder of the season, and they will be hoping that he can help revamp this bullpen.

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If he can pitch like he did in 2024, he might end up being the best option to close games for Philadelphia. However, the team must continue to be aggressive at the trade deadline to improve the unit.

In an ideal world, Robertson won’t be the only addition to the bullpen. With the team knowing that Jose Alvarado will be ineligible to pitch in the playoffs, adding multiple arms to replace their best relief pitcher would be wise if this unit is good enough to contend.

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