What will the Philadelphia Phillies do at this year’s trade deadline? Doubters think they’re going to end up as sellers. We know better. The Phillies will at least hang around for a while even if the year does eventually end in heartbreak.
Exactly what will the Phillies do? These three predictions might preview what’s in store.
1. Phillies trade deadline prediction: A top relief pitcher headlines the additions
The story for the Phillies never seems to change. The bullpen is a problem each year. This season, however, it hasn’t been quite as weak. Even if Corey Knebel did lose his closer job, he has been far more effective than most recent late-inning guys.
He has been joined in success by Brad Hand and Seranthony Dominguez. The Phillies bullpen has been good but it can get even better. It needs to for the team to have a serious shot at competing.
The Phillies might actually be more in the market for a right-handed reliever than a lefty. Jeurys Familia and Jose Alvarado have each underperformed. The Phillies don’t have quite enough righties to complete the relief corps which should have them looking for an addition.
The Detroit Tigers could have a few answers. Michael Fulmer is a free agent after this year and someone that could provide them with an answer. For a bigger deal, they might even want to consider Andrew Chafin.
There are a lot of other good righties on other teams, too. Daniel Bard of the Colorado Rockies and David Robertson of the Chicago Cubs are two closing out games for their respective teams. Do the Phillies look to add another closer to the mix or continue with the committee?
2. Phillies trade deadline prediction: A flier on a struggling pitcher or an overachiever.
The Phillies are going to add a starting pitcher. They’d be foolish not to. Exactly which pitcher is a bit hard to predict. We can narrow it down into two categories which appear to match what we should expect them to spend.
One is finding this year’s Kyle Gibson. An overachiever on a team out of contention would make a lot of sense for the Phillies. Players like this tend to be affordable. Whether or not he’s a free agent after this season is a different question. Likely, the Phillies would be more in the market for a rental than someone under team control next season. The team doesn’t have enough to trade away for someone they can benefit from adding next year.
The second category is for the Phillies to trade for a pitcher having a not-so-great year when expectations were much higher for him. Someone like Kyle Hendricks of the Chicago Cubs might become available although he might not be much of an upgrade. A better strategy could be to simply try and capitalize on the overachiever rather than try to fix someone underperforming.
Jose Quintana of the Pittsburgh Pirates feels exactly like the type of pitcher the Phillies would trade for. Jordan Lyles of the Baltimore Orioles is another name to keep an eye on.
3. Phillies trade deadline prediction: A slick-fielding center fielder joins the roster.
There is a hole in center field at Citizen’s Bank Ballpark. This isn’t some sort of feature on the field like the old hill in Houston. This is one created by a lack of attention to the position.
The Phillies didn’t do anything to improve this spot in the offseason. Other than signing free agent Starling Marte, who ended up with the New York Mets as a right fielder, there wasn’t much they could have done without reaching for a trade. Odubel Herrera has been his usual self this year while Matt Vierling failed to capture at-bats when he was given the chance. Mickey Moniak remains a huge question as well.
Philadelphia doesn’t need to overpay for offense. They get plenty of that from the corner spots. What they could use is a Gold Glove-caliber player capable of hitting for average. As I wrote recently, Michael A. Taylor of the Kansas City Royals fits this need.
Taylor also happens to be signed through next year for a modest $4.5 million. He would actually be a welcomed addition to a Phillies club where clobbering home runs seems to be the focus. Taylor can put the ball in play and reach base—something not many other members of this team can do. It would also answer a question for them next year as to who plays the position. There hasn’t been a long-term option there since the days of Shane Victorino.
Nothing about Taylor is permanent. He is already past 30 but having a good year and matching up perfectly for what the Phillies should and I am predicting will trade in the next few weeks.