Will the first-place Philadelphia Phillies, in pursuit of their fourth-straight postseason appearance and first World Series title since 2008, have a quiet trade deadline? Their normally aggressive lead decision-maker Dave Dombrowski suggested something along those lines in a recent conversation with The Athletic. Jayson Stark writes:
“Dombrowski is always shopping, but he downplayed that idea. His rotation is very good. And he’s not looking to address his lineup, he said, because ‘we like where we are right now.'”
The Phillies going into Wednesday’s slate of games are 47-32, which puts them on a 96-win pace. However, their position is not exactly secure. They lead the New York Mets by just 1 ½ games in the National League East, and it figures to be a tight race among the eventual three division winners in the National League for those two first-round byes. As well, the Phillies have out-played their current run differential by three games.
As for specifics, the rotation has been one of MLB‘s best, and there’s also the hope that Aaron Nola‘s eventual return from the injured list (he has been out since mid-May with an ankle sprain and was recently moved to the 60-day IL) leads to better results from the stalwart right-hander. On offense, the lineup is top-heavy, but the Phillies rank a respectable 11th in MLB in runs scored and eighth in OPS. Not so long ago, third base looked like a potential void, but Alec Bohm has improved significantly after a deep slump to start the 2025 season. Catcher J.T. Realmuto and second baseman Bryson Stott have disappointed thus far, but their defensive value carries the day. There is perhaps a need for an upgrade over Max Kepler in left, but Dombrowski doesn’t sound inclined to take that step. Manager Rob Thomson has been fairly aggressive with platoons, which has helped matters.
And the bullpen? Contending teams almost without exception can always use another high-leverage relief arm come deadline time, and the Phillies certainly seem to be in that grouping. They’ve struggled to find reliable late innings from the pen, particularly after Jose Alvarado‘s PED suspension, and Thomson has taken a “committee” approach to save opportunities. In particular, the Jordan Romano reclamation project has not gone as hoped. Overall, the Philly bullpen ranks 25th in MLB in bullpen ERA, 22nd in bullpen FIP, and 18th in bullpen K%. In other words, that’s a bullpen that reeks of “fatal October flaw.”
This, of course, isn’t lost on Dombrowski. While otherwise laying the groundwork for a quiet deadline, he also told The Athletic this:
“So that really leaves the back end of the bullpen. really much more so than anything else. Now again, you analyze what’s going on all the time, and you see what’s taking place. But I would say, first and foremost, that would be our main focus.”
Perhaps that means the addition of a complementary arm or two as opposed to a high-profile closer — not that many of those figure to be available this particular deadline. All of that points to the possibility that it will be a relatively quiet late July in Philly, at least by Dombrowski’s usual standards. More than a month away from the deadline, though, such situations may be considered to be developing in nature.
This news was originally published on this post .
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