The Philadelphia Phillies were probably always going to add a reliever before the July 30 trade deadline. You can never have enough quality arms in the bullpen.
But what type of reliever the Phillies need has probably changed based on how the month of July has played out. Entering this month, a medium-leverage arm — a reunion with Héctor Neris or David Robertson, perhaps — felt like it would suffice. Now, it feels like the Phillies unquestionably need another arm capable of closing, even if it’s not someone that will be labeled as the closer.
While a missed play by Brandon Marsh made things worse, Orion Kerkering struggled in Wednesday’s appearance against the Minnesota Twins, and on the team’s recently-concluded six game road trip as a whole. Gregory Soto has great stuff, but his command isn’t consistent enough to be counted on in high-leverage situations. Since the 2022 World Series, Seranthony Domínguez has a 4.19 ERA over 95 appearances. Even José Alvarado isn’t missing as many bats this year, as evidenced by the 9.95 ERA he has in July.
The Phillies still sent two relievers to the All-Star Game in Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm, so this is hardly a dire situation. But it’s apparent president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski needs to make another addition to avoid a bullpen collapse late in the postseason for the second year in a row.
At the same time, it’s also clear that the Phillies need to add another outfielder. Nick Castellanos is finally heating up, but Johan Rojas has clear offensive limitations and Brandon Marsh doesn’t look healthy. Even when Marsh is healthy, the Phillies don’t appear to trust him against left-handed pitching, which is fair considering he’s struck out 25 times in 56 plate appearances against southpaws this season.
So while these two things could be acquired in separate transactions, it would be pretty convenient for the Phillies to acquire both a high-end reliever and outfielder in the same deal. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to guess that the Phillies don’t land either Oakland Athletics closer Mason Miller or Chicago White Sox LHP Garrett Crochet. Here’s a look at three trades that could land the Phillies upgrades at their two biggest points of need.
Trade 1: Phillies acquire reliever Carlos Estévez, outfielder Taylor Ward from Los Angeles Angels
Estévez was an All-Star a year ago, and is having an even better contract season in 2024. The 31-year-old has converted 19 or 22 save attempts, with a 2.45 ERA in 33 games this season. He’s got a 96 mph fastball and an 89 mph slider.
Meanwhile, Ward is a 30-year-old outfielder that’s a former first-round pick. He was something of a late bloomer, but because of that he has two remaining years of control beyond 2024 and can’t become a free agent after the 2026 season. Ward has a .903 OPS against left-handed pitching this year, which would make him a strong platoon option with Marsh in left field.
This trade wouldn’t cost Andrew Painter or Aidan Miller, but given that Estévez is one of the top relievers expected to be traded and Ward is under control for parts of three seasons, there would likely be some initial sticker shock.
Trade 2: Phillies acquire reliever Kyle Finnegan, outfielder Lane Thomas from Washington Nationals
Finnegan — who has 28 saves, a 2.32 ERA and 3.89 FIP — may not be as good as Estévez, but he has an extra year of control in 2025. That likely makes him more valuable as a trade target because Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo doesn’t have to deal him.
Thomas has long been a thorn in the side of the Phillies, and has an .889 OPS against left-handed pitching in his career. He doesn’t grade out well as a defender, particularly in right field where he has -11 defensive runs saved this year. But if the Phillies face Chris Sale and/or Max Fried in the postseason, Thomas could start in left field, with Marsh either coming in or sliding over from center to replace him defensively later in the game.
Like Ward, Thomas wouldn’t be a rental. Unlike Ward, Thomas can become a free agent after the 2025 season. But the price for two pennant runs with Finnegan and Thomas likely wouldn’t be cheap. It might help the Phillies to have a parade in early November, though.
Trade 3: Phillies acquire reliever Tanner Scott, outfielder Bryan De La Cruz from Miami Marlins
Scott’s 2.92 expected ERA and 3.23 FIP suggest some regression could be coming, but the lefty has a 1.24 ERA this season and leads all relievers in WAR since the start of the 2023 season. Scott has 17 saves in 19 attempts this year, but the lefty has pitched in a variety of roles in his career. He can become a free agent after the season.
De La Cruz would be more of a project than Ward or Thomas. He has just a .284 on-base percentage this year, but also has 17 home runs and 45 RBIs. He’s actually had as much success against right-handed pitchers as left-handed ones in his career, but will still be a better option than Marsh against southpaws, and could play in left if Marsh is in center. The 27-year-old can’t become a free agent until after the 2027 season.
Because Scott is a rental and there’s more of a chance De La Cruz flops than Ward or Thomas, the price for this deal wouldn’t be as high as the first two. Of course, the reward may not be either. And for those wondering, the Phillies reportedly do not have interest in Jazz Chisholm Jr.
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