Philadelphia Phillies: 3 starters to make part-timers after the trade deadline
By Tim Boyle
What will the Philadelphia Phillies look to add at this year’s trade deadline? They could use a little bit of everything. Dave Dombrowski can treat the next few days like most of us will treat our selection of toppings at a frozen yogurt shop.
The Phillies could most certainly use another arm for the rotation. They should look to bolster the bullpen, too.
Even the starting lineup, as prolific as it can be on some days, could be the benefactor of some upgrades. After the trade deadline, it’s these three regular Phillies starters who could become part-time players.
1) Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius could be a part-time player after the trade deadline
Didi Gregorius has battled injuries during his time with the Phillies but it’s probably not what he’ll be remembered for most. Gregorius has been, if nothing else, an underwhelming addition for the Phillies when on the field. He took a huge step back in every way possible from his best years with the New York Yankees. Meant to be a solution at shortstop for at least a few seasons, Gregorius had questionable defense right from the beginning.
It’s pretty amazing how consistently weak the position has been for Philadelphia. They’ve fallen a long way since the days of Jimmy Rollins.
While we can still hold onto hope that Bryson Stott is the solution, the team has tried everyone from Jean Segura to Asdrubal Cabrera to even Scott Kingery regularly at the position. They gave up on J.P. Crawford rather quickly, opening up an opportunity to sign Gregorius when they did.
Fortunately, the Gregorius era will come to a close and the Phillies can venture out this offseason for a major upgrade. They are already viewed as a top contender for Trea Turner. If not him, they’ll have other options out there from Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson to others such as opt-out candidates Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts.
This year, trade options might be limited to Jose Iglesias. A better defender and a guy who has hit for a decent average, he could be someone the Phillies bring in at the trade deadline to at least put a little pressure on Gregorius to perform better. At the very least, he can give the club a little more infield depth.