Philadelphia Phillies: Will the team make another move prior to the deadline?

With the trade deadline less than 24 hours away, will the Philadelphia Phillies make any more moves to upgrade their roster in the next day?

The Philadelphia Phillies currently see themselves in a position they have not been in since 2011. They see themselves in a position to be buyers at the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. Currently sitting in first place, the Phillies will look to improve their roster as they get set for the stretch run.

Less than a week ago, the Phillies made their first move in acquiring Asdrubal Cabrera from the New York Mets. A move that is aimed to improve one of the Phillies biggest needs and that was a bat in their infield. While a below average fielder, Cabrera provides an upgrade offensively over rookie shortstop Scott Kingery.

While the Phillies addressed one of their biggest needs, some other needs still exist. Could the Phillies stand pat at the deadline and go into the stretch run with what they have? Theoretically, they could, given the fact that this group has put them in first place. But this team has too many inconsistencies to be trusted down the stretch.

When looking at this Phillies team and where they stand right now, they could use another starting pitcher, particularly one who has experience pitching down the stretch and into the postseason. A bullpen arm and a bench bat would be nice as well.

A name the Phillies have been linked to over the past 24 hours is Mets’ right-hander Zack Wheeler. According to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports, the Phillies, among other teams have expressed interest in the 28-year-old Wheeler.

Acquiring Wheeler would give the Phillies an experienced arm who has had past success, and coming from the Mets means he has experience pitching against NL East teams. After having some success early in his career, Wheeler missed the entirety of the 2015 and 2016 seasons; after coming back he has underwhelmed but a change of scenery might benefit Wheeler.

The Phillies obviously know what they have in Jake Arrieta, who has been solid this season, and Aaron Nola is, of course, the workhorse and ace of this staff. But outside of those two, the rest of the rotation has been extremely inconsistent, and adding a veteran arm can only help in this case.

In addition to another rotation arm, the Phillies have been rumored to be looking to bolster their bench. The addition of Cabrera helps in that case, but the Phillies do have some more holes on their bench.

Two names the Phillies have been rumored to be connected to is the Rangers Joey Gallo and Jose Bautista, also of the New York Mets. Gallo is someone who could have a Matt Stairs-esque role off of the Phillies bench. Gallo does not hit for average but can hit the long ball, with 26 in 2018. Gallo is a high-risk high reward hitter, someone who strikes out a lot but can hit lots of home runs.

Bautista is on his second team in 2018 and is obviously in the twilight of his career at 37 years old. He has been a solid piece in New York, and if he came to Philly, Joey Bats could be a solid piece off of the Phillies bench.

While neither of these two would be game-changing acquisitions, they would provide much-needed upgrades to a Phillies bench that does not have a whole lot to offer as they stand right now.

Another common area that has been pointed to when discussing potential upgrades for the Phillies is in the bullpen. This is something that was more of a concern earlier in the season when the bullpen was struggling, but as of late, the bullpen has been among the best in the majors, so that need does not seem as pressing anymore.

If the Phillies do not acquire another bullpen arm, it would not be the end of the world. The market for relievers is thinning but there are still some decent arms out there like the Reds’ Raisel Iglesias, who the Phillies saw this past weekend in Cincinnati.

So with the trade deadline quickly approaching, there are still a plethora of moves the Phillies can make. There is plenty of room for upgrades and it remains to be seen whether Matt Klentak makes upgrades where needed.

If the Philadelphia Phillies make upgrades in some spots, then they will have themselves in a great position heading into the stretch run. If they stand pat, it may be tougher, but they have themselves in a great position going forward no matter what they do. Will they make any moves? That remains to be seen, but the next 24 hours are sure to be an exciting one.