As baseball continues into its All-Star Break, the wheels of its teams’ front offices get fully into motion, as MLB is a bit more than two weeks from its trade deadline. The Phillies sit with the largest division lead in the game, and a sizable lead over the rest of the National League with 60-plus games remaining in the regular season.
All that said, no baseball team is perfect. Even the team with the best record in the game needs help. And the teams chasing them need to fill their rosters in the effort to keep pace with them. With more than 20 teams still in the hunt for a playoff spot, shopping for additional talent becomes increasingly challenging. With that in mind, we asked our experts for their respective shopping lists in advance of the deadline with a bit more than two weeks remaining.
Ruben Amaro, Jr. – NBCSPhilly Phillies Analyst; Phillies GM 2009-2015 – Bullpen help. That’s the move I would make if I were in charge (and I am glad I am not). I trust the offense, and would love to see one more dependable 8th or 9th inning arm that Topper can trust. This completes an already phenomenal club – and dare I say – bullpen as well.
Ben Davis – NBCSPhilly Phillies Analyst; 7-year MLB Veteran – I'd love to get an additional outfielder (preferably a right-handed hitter) with some thump, and I'd never turn down a bullpen piece. I also wouldn't be opposed to a left handed bat off the bench.
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Ricky Bottalico – NBCSPhilly Phillies Analyst; 12-year MLB Veteran – I think the Phillies could use a right-hand hitting left fielder or just and outfield piece. Sorry to the rest but I love this bullpen right now. I think they’re among the best in baseball and don’t need to add anything.
Sean Kane – NBCSPhilly Phillies producer - The Phillies trade deadline priorities should be an outfield bat and reliever, in that order.
They are sorely lacking offensive punch from the outfield. Nick Castellanos is who he is - an inconsistent hitter susceptible to prolonged slumps. We saw it in the NLCS last year and again for the first two months of this season. They like Johan Rojas in center field for defensive purposes and I imagine they'll stick with him for the remainder of the regular season and into the postseason. Left field is where an upgrade is most realistic. The Phillies clearly don't trust Brandon Marsh against lefthanded pitching. They need a reliable platoon partner for Marsh. Is Weston Wilson that guy? Maybe, but you certainly can't count on that. I think Dave Dombrowski will be aggressive in pursuing a righthanded corner outfield bat.
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The Athletics' Brent Rooker had a terrific audition over the weekend at Citizens Bank Park. He's limited defensively and would come with a steep price tag given his production this season and the fact he is under club control for three more seasons. Regardless, he would be my top target. Rooker is the type of addition that could put the Phillies over the top in their pursuit of a third World Series championship.
As far as the bullpen, I expect the Phillies to be active in the market for a righthanded power arm. Seranthony Dominguez is too inconsistent to be trusted come October. Outside of Jeff Hoffman and Orion Kerkering, Rob Thomson's options are limited against big righthanded bats in the late innings.
