After the Phillies traded for Luis Arraez, Don Mattingly began scratching out potential lineups. He settled on Kyle Schwarber in the leadoff spot and Arraez batting cleanup.
Wait … what?
Shouldn’t that be reversed?
“It is different than when I played, for sure,” Mattingly said Friday. “You would never have thought about hitting [Arraez] fourth. It would’ve been Schwarb fourth, for sure.”
Indeed, for much of the peak of his 14-year playing career, Mattingly was the ideal No. 3 hitter in a Yankees batting order that featured classic profiles of a leadoff (Rickey Henderson) and cleanup (Dave Winfield) hitter.
Arraez is a contact-hitting savant who rarely strikes out but also doesn’t hit for power. In 891 starts before joining the Phillies, he batted cleanup only 38 times. Schwarber is among the most feared home-run threats in the sport but also leads the majors in strikeouts.
So, what prompted Mattingly to turn the stereotypical lineup construction on its ear?
“Well, I think it puts Luis in a spot where hits create runs, right?“ Mattingly said. ”Schwarbs is an on-base guy. If we get guys on base, I feel like it’s protection for Bryce [Harper]. They really don’t want to pitch to Arraez, either, because they know the hits are coming, and you’re really not going to punch him out for the most part. He doesn’t really strike out.”
With Luis Arraez in the lineup, the Phillies were 32-for-101 (.317) and scored 16 runs in the last three games.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
So far, it couldn’t be working out any better.
Arraez’s first two at-bats with the Phillies came with runners on first and second base Tuesday night. In both cases, he drove in a run. Through three games entering Friday night, he was 5-for-13 with two doubles, one homer, and four RBIs — all while batting in the cleanup spot behind Harper.
There’s more. Arraez swung at 28 pitches and made contact with all of them. And with him in the lineup, the Phillies were 32-for-101 (.317) and scored 16 runs in three games.
Mattingly conceded that he debated between Schwarber or Arraez in the leadoff spot, with the other hitting cleanup.
“And honestly,” he said, “I didn’t know which way was better. It’s worked out so far. We’ll see where it goes. But I like him there because he’s on base and he’s also driving in runs with hits.”
Chase Utley, pictured at his retirement ceremony, was added to the Phillies’ Wall of Fame on Friday night.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Honoring Utley
At Harper’s suggestion, the Phillies ditched their City Connect jerseys for the classic red pinstripes in honor of adding Chase Utley to the team’s Wall of Fame. Harper prompted the change with a text to owner John Middleton.
Utley, meanwhile, briefly played for Mattingly after the Phillies traded him to the Dodgers in August 2015.
“Just a guy that you love on your team and just kind of pure baseball, as much as anything,” Mattingly said. “It just seems like hard-nosed, straight-ahead, no-fluff baseball, and I love that.”
Mattingly recalled seeing Utley in spring training early in his career, when “most people probably didn’t know about Chase.”
“Those at-bats looked good,” Mattingly said. “You see it with young guys. You can tell certain guys, it’s just like, ‘OK, this is different.’ Right?”
Mattingly would know. Utley finished his career with a .275 average, .823 OPS, and 1,885 hits in 7,863 plate appearances; Mattingly was a .307 hitter with an .830 OPS and 2,153 hits in 7,722 plate appearances.
Extra bases
Schwarber took grounders and practiced picking throws in the dirt at first base. The Phillies are planning to start him there — and get Harper a day as the DH — this weekend. … With rain in the forecast through Saturday, the Phillies scratched triple-A righty Alan Rangel from his start Friday night in Worcester, Mass., in case they need a fresh arm. It also covers them in the rotation, although Andrew Painter is expected to make his next start Monday night in St. Louis after exiting his last start due to left hamstring tightness. … Aaron Nola (3-9, 5.55 ERA) is scheduled to start at 6:05 p.m. Saturday against Blue Jays righty Max Scherzer (1-4, 7.92).
On the first day of the rest of their season, Alec Bohm practiced picking throws out of the dirt at first base; Bryson Stott worked on cutoffs and relays at third; Bryce Harper ran down fly balls in the outfield.
For Luis Arraez, the best available hitter in an extreme seller’s trade market, the Phillies finally took Harper up on his standing offer to move back to the outfield and displaced three-fourths of their infield.
Creative, right? But the one infielder who didn’t switch positions happens to be among the worst defenders in the sport this season, based on both the eye test and metrics.
Was there discussion of moving Turner off shortstop?
“There was not,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “Not at this point, no.”
OK, let’s dispel a myth/social media fabrication: Turner didn’t decline to switch positions. The Phillies never asked him to. Not after Harper set all of this in motion by raising his hand to go to the outfield.
Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (left) works with second baseman Luis Arraez, his new double-play partner, before a game this week.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
None of these moves are permanent. Harper will return to first base next season; Stott will go back to the middle infield; Bohm is a pending free agent. This is a 49-game experiment to add a three-time batting champion to the middle of a lineup that needed more sizzle.
Arraez brings sizzle, spice, and a knack for forcing the action with his uncanny ability to put the ball in play. Team officials think that will outweigh eight weeks of possibly weakening a defense that wasn’t steady in the first place.
When the Phillies move Turner, they want it to be for good.
In time, they will move him. Turner turned 33 in June and is under contract for seven more years. The conversation about vacating shortstop will come … eventually. Maybe even after this season.
But Turner hasn’t played the outfield in 10 years, since a 45-game cameo as a rookie with the Nationals in 2016. He played 49 games at second base after getting traded to the Dodgers in 2021. Otherwise, it has been shortstop.
For now, the Phillies are focused on helping Turner get better — or at least closer to last season, when he played the best defense of his career en route to a fifth-place finish in the National League MVP race.
“Trea’s won a World Series as a shortstop [with the Nationals in 2019]; he’s won a division back-to-back years; he’s played a high level of shortstop last year; he’s still athletic,” infield coach Bobby Dickerson said on The Inquirer’s Phillies Extra podcast. “All those things I don’t see diminishing. He can stay at shortstop.
“How does it happen? He’s got to put a chip on his shoulders and say, ‘The way to quiet everybody is to make plays, to do my job and do it right and do it good. I always talk about shortstop as the quarterback position. Out on the field, quarterbacking is a person that calms everything down instead of creating more chaos. We’ve got to get back to leading as a shortstop — make plays, play it calm, let everybody breathe. That’s the only way he stays there.
“My job is to help him stay there. I’ll feel like I failed if we don’t get this done. I’ve seen him play it. And until he’s moved, he’s our shortstop, and we’re going to get after it every day and get it done.”
Turner entered the weekend with 18 errors, second-most behind Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams. He ranked last among shortstops in defensive runs saved (minus-11), according to Sports Info Solutions, and third-to-last in Statcast’s fielding run value (minus-8).
In four games out of the All-Star break, he made four errors. He had six in 17 games through Wednesday. The past week has been better, with diving plays to his left to take hits from Jake Rogers last Friday night in Baltimore and the Nationals’ Jorbit Vivas and Daylen Lile at home Tuesday and Wednesday.
It’s also not coincidental that Turner’s downturn in the field began amid early-season struggles at the plate. Although he has turned it around over the last six weeks, he was hitting .216 with a .595 OPS on June 15.
“The offense at the beginning of the year was probably in his head a little bit,” Phillies radio analyst and former shortstop Kevin Stocker said on Phillies Extra. “He struggled out of the gate offensively, which has always carried him, and sometimes when you take that out to the field, you’re still kind of thinking about it … and then the routine play eats you up.
“It’s a classic case of kind of getting the yips. You don’t know whether to charge the ball, whether to go back on a ball, and that is the worst when you get that as an infielder. It’s incredibly difficult to get out of that.
“The other night, he made an amazing play going to his left. The angle plays, you don’t have time to think about it, [and] you make it. It’s that routine play. … What the Phillies need is Trea needs to make the routine play. The great plays are great, but if you don’t get the routine out and you give an extra out to the bullpen that has been struggling, it’s trouble.”
But in uprooting three infielders, the Phillies left Turner alone.
For now.
“We didn’t even discuss it with him at this point,” Dombrowski said. “He’s done it before and he works hard at it. He’s our shortstop, and that’s where he’s staying right now.”
Phillies top prospect Gage Wood has been a starter this season at double-A Reading.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Gauging Wood
Fire up the flux capacitor, and time travel to Oct. 4, 2025.
It’s Game 1 of the division series. The Phillies lead, 3-2, in the seventh inning at home against the Dodgers. David Robertson gives up a leadoff single and hits a batter before Matt Strahm allows a three-run homer. The Phillies lose, 5-3.
Now, travel to Oct. 5, 2024. It’s Game 1 of the division series. The Phillies lead, 1-0, in the eighth inning at home against the Mets. Jeff Hoffman gives up a leadoff single, a walk, and an RBI single before Strahm allows the go-ahead single, a sacrifice fly, and another single. Orion Kerkering enters and yields an RBI single and a sacrifice fly. The Phillies lose, 6-2.
The point is, the bullpen is the source of Phillies playoff disappointments dating to Craig Kimbrel’s meltdowns in Games 3 and 4 of the 2023 NLCS in Arizona. They have Jhoan Duran in the ninth inning now, but getting to him could still be problematic even after the deadline additions of Caleb Kilian and veteran lefty Brooks Raley.
At present, the starter-to-Duran bridge consists of Jonathan Bowlan, José Alvarado, Kerkering, Tim Mayza, Kilian and Raley.
Maybe it will be enough. History says it won’t.
So, hard-throwing Alex McFarlane likely will get another look after retiring Shohei Ohtani in his major league debut July 22. Since then, he gave up one hit and two walks in three scoreless outings in triple A.
Rival scouts wonder if the Phillies will push top prospect Gage Wood to the big leagues as a reliever. Wood, who has a 4.32 ERA in 11 starts in double A, pitched out of the bullpen as a freshman in college at Arkansas.
“Would I consider it?” Dombrowski said. “We have not discussed that at all at this point.”
Key words: “At this point.”
The Phillies are monitoring Wood’s innings — 68 and counting — with no plans to shut him down before the end of the minor-league season.
“He’s a good prospect and we really like him,” Dombrowski said. “But we haven’t talked even talked about that.”
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski didn’t trade for a starting pitcher at the deadline.Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
False start
A partial list of starting pitchers who got traded before the deadline: Tarik Skubal, Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Robbie Ray, Casey Mize, Freddy Peralta, Luis Castillo, Foster Griffin, Dustin May, Tyler Mahle, José Soriano, Spencer Arrighetti, Jameson Taillon, Kris Bubic, Braxton Garrett, Dean Kremer, and Connelly Early.
The Phillies got none of them.
OK, so they weren’t trading for Skubal. And given the lack of top-end talent in the farm system, Dombrowski conceded the Phillies were unable to beat the returns for some starters. The Cubs (Gausman and Holmes) and Padres (Ray and Mize) were especially aggressive with their prospect packages.
But Dombrowski also said the Phillies discussed, then dismissed pitchers whom they didn’t view as upgrades over rookie Andrew Painter.
“The choice came in, do you end up getting a guy that’s a fifth starter that you don’t think is as good as your guy that you have now and option the guy that you think has a better chance to win to help your depth, or do what we’re doing?” Dombrowski said. “And we figured we’d do what we were doing and help our bullpen.”
It’s riskier than the infield realignment. Much riskier.
Unlike the Cubs and Padres, the Phillies didn’t need to trade for pitchers who could start postseason games for them. Not as long as Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesús Luzardo are lined up. But they still have to get to the postseason, which is more difficult with a 5-23 record from the fifth-starter spot.
The Reds held Brady Singer, even though the return likely didn’t have had to be much greater than the value of the compensatory draft pick they will get if they give him a qualifying offer. Adding someone like Singer to slot behind Aaron Nola, with Painter in reserve, would’ve helped, a point that was reinforced Wednesday when Painter tweaked his left hamstring and exited after four innings.
Painter is expected to make his next start, Mattingly said, but surely, the Phillies were holding their breath. They won’t exhale much over the next seven weeks.
“I always worry after you get past the trade deadline,” Dombrowski said. “I worry about our depth everywhere if you have injuries.”
But the state of the rotation feels like an especially dangerous game.
In trading for Luis Arraez at the deadline, the Phillies displaced three-fourths of their infield but left Trea Turner at shortstop. To help make sense of it all, pennant-winning former shortstop and current radio broadcaster Kevin Stocker joined Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast. Watch here.
You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Bryce Harper jogged out to right field. He faced the bleachers, removed his cap, raised both arms over his head, and bowed like a stage actor on Broadway, not a star athlete off Broad Street.
Then, on the first pitch, he caught a flyball.
Just like old times.
And when we say old times, we’re talking about 2022 — April 16, 2022, to be exact. It took 1,571 days and 752 games, but Harper turned back into an outfielder Tuesday night, part of the Phillies’ Grand Experiment to squeeze another run from a core that keeps chasing an elusive championship.
“There may be some bumps and bruises with this,” said interim manager Don Mattingly, referring not to Harper specifically but a creative (read: crazy?) plan to trade for contact-hitting savant Luis Arraez at the deadline while uprooting three-quarters of the infield. “But these guys are baseball players. They’re going to be fine.”
So far, so good.
Batting behind Harper in the cleanup spot, Arraez drove in two runs in his first two at-bats, and the out-of-position Phillies made every play to back an eight-inning gem from Jesús Luzardo in a 5-0 laugher over the Nationals.
“I was excited,” Arraez said following the Phillies’ fourth straight victory after losing four in a row and eight of nine. “I was happy, especially when the fans gave me the ovation. That was beautiful.”
New Phillie Luis Arraez reacts after hitting a double in the third inning against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Indeed, most of the 38,731 paying customers stood and cheered before Arraez banged an RBI single to center field in the first inning. In the third, he fouled off a bunt to spot the Nationals a strike, then got a piece of two two-strike pitches and capped an eight-pitch at-bat by slashing a double down the first-base line.
Say this: Arraez arrived as advertised, a three-time batting champion who may be on his way to a fourth.
“It’s kind of what he brings,” Mattingly said. “You see he’s not afraid to take a pitch, not afraid to get down in a count, that he’s not afraid to hit with a strike. He’s not a guy that really swings and misses much at all, so it’s like, you can tell the confidence he has.”
But there was also this: Arraez, celebrating his hits with some combination of arm-waving, pointing to “Phillies” across his jersey, and pounding his chest. It’s a spark, especially for a group of position players that has been together for four years.
OK, press pause: It was one game. But just as the firing of manager Rob Thomson amid a 9-19 start was like a defibrillator for a clubhouse that’s used to the extreme continuity of running back the guts of the roster, could the addition of Arraez — and position changes for Harper, Bryson Stott (second base to third), and Alec Bohm (third base to first) — bring a similar effect?
“I think bringing [Arraez’s] energy in here will change it more than anything, just the energy aspect of that from him,” Harper said in a conversation at his locker before the game. “Any time you bring new blood into the clubhouse, it’s obviously a change. I don’t think changing of positions, for me personally — it might be different for Bryson or Bohmer — but I don’t think that’ll have too much effect on that.”
Sure. But consider what went on before the game. Arraez and shortstop Trea Turner worked on turning double plays, while Stott long-tossed to loosen his arm for longer throws. Infield coach Bobby Dickerson drilled Stott on cutoffs and relays from third base before working with Bohm on picks at first base.
And there was Harper, making throws from right field.
It was all new and uncertain, maybe even exciting. And as unorthodox as it is to move all these chess pieces around the board in August, could it also be a way to combat the onset of staleness over a long season for players who are as familiar with one another as the Phillies?
“Yeah, no, it’s definitely different,” Harper said. “But if we’re just talking about like the energy effect, all that kind of stuff, I don’t think it’s going to be any different on that part. Obviously we’re all going to be the same and play the way we do.
“But bringing a guy like Arraez that plays with the energy and the fire that he does, I think can help us. I think a lot of us are super grateful to play in a ballpark that we play in, with the fans that we do have. We don’t take that lightly. I think having a packed house every night and stuff really helps you play well, right?”
Mattingly debated Arraez in the leadoff or cleanup spot. He settled on cleanup. Sure enough, Arraez delivered with runners on first and second in the first and third innings after Harper drew walks.
“I’ve known him for a long time, and that’s what he does,” said Luzardo, who gave up four hits and two walks and threw 98 pitches in his longest start of the season. “He’s going to get his knocks, but just the energy he brings in the clubhouse, in the dugout, on the field, just kind of keeps it light.”
And because the baseball gods have a sense of humor, the first four balls put in play by the Nationals all went to right field. Harper handled them all.
After bowing to the fans, of course.
“A lot of them remembered,” Harper said of his pregame ritual in his previous life as a Phillies right fielder. “That was pretty cool to see.”
At 3:30 p.m. Monday, Bryce Harper stood on the grass in shallow center field and uncorked throws from as far as 120 feet to coach Paco Figueroa on the right-field foul line.
With that, the Grand Experiment began.
Make no mistake, that’s what this is. The Phillies made their big trade-deadline move for Luis Arraez, a three-time batting champion whom they deemed the most impactful hitter available even though his preferred position (second base) was occupied. They also added relievers Caleb Kilian and veteran lefty Brooks Raley.
But they couldn’t line up on a package for any of the 13 — count ‘em, 13! — starting pitchers of note who got traded, leaving one of the Phillies’ chief needs unfilled.
Were they unwilling to pay the prices for the one subset of an extreme seller’s market that featured abundant supply?
Or were they unable?
“Both,” Dave Dombrowski said after the 6 p.m. deadline passed. “In some cases, I’d say some clubs felt we were unable to match others, but not in many cases. The top of our farm system is very well-regarded. I think it’s a little deeper than what people think it is once you start talking to them. But others may not.”
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski (center) made two notable trades before Monday’s deadline.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
As a rival team official said, “Dave was in a really tough situation,” trying to find bullpen help, a right-handed bat, and a starter with “only three legitimate pieces” in the farm system. Dombrowski cashed in one of them — 20-year-old righty Ramon Marquez — for Arraez, a pending free agent.
But the Phillies’ biggest asset turned out to be Harper’s unfulfilled desire to win a World Series.
If Harper wouldn’t go back to right field, where he hasn’t played since April 2022, the Phillies couldn’t have set off the chain reaction of positional changes — Alec Bohm to first base, Bryson Stott to third — that opened up second base for Arraez.
For years, Harper told everyone that he would make a temporary move to the outfield if it enabled the Phillies to add a hitter. They never came close to taking him up on it, even as Dombrowski went on a four-year search for outfield bats that turned up Austin Hays, Max Kepler, Harrison Bader, and Adolis García.
“I know everybody thinks it’s crap when I say it,” Harper said Monday. “But it’s not.”
Just in case, Harper stuffed an outfielder’s glove in his travel bag for the road trip last week. Then, at Dombrowski’s request, Don Mattingly struck up a conversation before a game. It went like this:
“Hey, are you serious?” Mattingly said.
“Yeah,” Harper said.
And that was it.
“I think him being willing to do that — and being serious about it — was the key to being able to open your mind to different things,“ Mattingly said. ”It could get away from an outfielder and open your mind to different guys.”
Luis Arraez, acquired Monday by the Phillies at the trade deadline, is a three-time batting champion.Gregory Bull
The clincher, though, came Sunday night. Dombrowski was “pretty far along” in talks with the Giants about Arraez when he got a text from Harper.
“He said, ‘If there’s any truth to the rumors that you’re getting Arraez, I’d be happy to move to the outfield to add him to the ballclub,’“ Dombrowski said. “His volunteering it opened up the door for us to go ahead.“
Never mind, then, that the Phillies began the week last in the majors in on-base percentage (.280) and OPS (.644) from the right side of the plate. In their estimation, lefty-swinging Arraez will improve the lineup more than righty-hitting outfielders Jo Adell and Taylor Ward.
They’re probably correct. Arraez is a modern Rod Carew. What he lacks in power (career-high 10 home runs in 2023), he makes up for in contact skills. To put his 21 strikeouts this season into context, 102 players struck out as many times … in July alone.
But Harper, Stott, Trea Turner, and Bohm — from first base to third — have comprised the infield for four years, including Monday night in the 113th game of the season. Now, the only one who will stay put is Turner, the worst defender of the group.
It’s a lot of chess pieces to move around on Aug. 4.
Mattingly, a nine-time Gold Glove first baseman, was asked if he’s ever seen anything like it.
“I can’t say that I have,” he said. “Not that I remember. No, not really.”
And Dombrowski, who has led front offices for nearly 40 years and been in the game even longer?
“Probably not positional player-wise,” he said.
Bryce Harper is expected to return to first base after this season.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The Phillies are among the worst defensive teams in the majors. Dombrowski thinks they could be better in the new alignment. Can they get worse?
Harper, in particular, but also Stott are expected to return to their regular positions after the season. Until then, it’s a gambit.
“I think sometimes you have to take a little bit of an adventurous look at your club when you look at moving positions around,” Dombrowski said. “We think it will work for us.”
But they’re asking Harper and Stott to condition their arms to make longer throws. And it’s not like they have spring training. They’re expected to be at their adopted positions Tuesday, when Arraez joins the team.
“Obviously I’m going to need to get my arm going a little bit more,” Harper said. “Long toss, arm care, all that stuff. … I would say that and maybe a little bit of the legs as well. But at 33 right now, it’s the best I’ve felt in a long time. I feel healthy. I feel strong.
“I’m at a spot in my career where I don’t have to do that, right? Like I don’t have to go and play a different position. I’m very comfortable at first base. I love first base. I love being on the infield, you know? It’s something I’m doing just for the team. That’s how I feel about that.
“But I want to win. You guys know that I want to win more than anybody. So, go out there hopefully it helps.”
It won’t fill the fifth-starter spot, get any outs in the eighth inning, or boost the production from the right side of the plate. But at the trade deadline, Harper’s championship thirst was the best thing the Phillies had going for them.
In a move to reinforce the bullpen, the Phillies turned to … the Mets?
On the heels of a larger trade for second baseman Luis Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian from the Giants, the Phillies acquired lefty reliever Brooks Raley from the Mets for minor league right-hander Luke Gabrysh and outfielder John Spikerman.
Raley, 38, has a 1.96 ERA in 41⅓ innings for the Mets. A pending free agent, he figures to slot into the bullpen alongside fellow lefties José Alvarado and Tim Mayza and righties Orion Kerkering and Jonathan Bowlan as the primary pieces in the bridge to closer Jhoan Duran.
All along, the Mets appeared to be a source for the Phillies to find relief help. The Mets are among the few aggressive sellers in the marketplace and already moved relievers A.J. Minter (to the Twins) and Huascar Brazobán (to the White Sox). They also have gotten offers for Luke Weaver, who is under contract for 2027, and closer-turned-starter Clay Holmes.
Right-handed pitcher Nolan Hoffman was designated for assignment to make room for Raley on the Phillies’ 40-man roster.
Luis Arraez is neither an outfielder nor a right-handed hitter. But he is the Phillies’ solution for scoring more runs.
Even though it puts Bryce Harper back in right field.
Welcome to the Phillies’ brave new world.
Amid an underwhelming market for righty-swinging outfielders, Dave Dombrowski made a trade-deadline splash Monday, acquiring Arraez — a lefty-hitting second baseman — and reliever Caleb Kilian from the Giants for two minor leaguers, including breakout pitching prospect Ramon Marquez — and in the process, uprooting three-quarters of the infield and transplanting Harper to the outfield for the first time since April 2022.
Then, in an almost concurrent trade, the Phillies picked up veteran lefty reliever Brooks Raley from the Mets for minor-league outfielder John Spikerman and right-hander Luke Gabrysh.
“Obviously,” Harper said, “it’s been a good deadline. I think [Dombrowski]’s done a great job.”
Harper said he didn’t know the Phillies were talking to the Giants about Arraez when he texted Dombrowski on Sunday night, after a conversation over the weekend in Baltimore with manager Don Mattingly. In both cases, he reiterated what he has said for years: For another productive hitter who played in the infield, he would make a short-term move back to right field.
With Harper clearing the way, the Phillies pivoted to Arraez, a contact-hitting savant and three-time batting champion with a bead on a fourth. He’s leading the National League with a .324 average and has struck out only 21 times in 464 plate appearances.
In short, he’s like almost no other modern hitter.
Luis Arraez has more walks (25) than strikeouts (21). Gregory Bull
“He’s kind of like the modern day like Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs,” said Mattingly, who played with both. “The guy just hits. He’s always hit, [won] batting titles, and just continues to do it. Obviously a huge addition to the lineup.”
But in pivoting to a hitter whom they believe will have a bigger impact than any of the righty-hitting outfielders they were scouting, the Phillies threw into flux an infield that already ranks among the worst defensive groups in the majors.
Arraez wants to stay at second base, where he improved defensively this season under Giants infield coach Ron Washington. Mattingly said the Phillies “wouldn’t have made the trade if we weren’t going to put him at second,” but really, they had little choice. The out-of-contention Giants assured Arraez they would only trade him to a team that would use him there.
Effective Tuesday night, then, when Arraez joins the Phillies, second baseman Bryson Stott will move to third base, third baseman Alec Bohm will go to first, and yes, Harper will shift back to the grass.
“The key for me is Harp,” Mattingly said. “Harp moving to the outfield is really the key to this.”
Said Harper: “I’ve said it in years past — I mean, I know everybody thinks it’s crap when I say it, but it’s not. Any chance that we have an opportunity to win, I’d do anything for this organization. And they know that.”
In the weeks leading up to the deadline, the Phillies focused on three areas: a right-handed bat, a late-inning reliever, and a starting pitcher. With so many needs and few assets in the farm system, it seemed like a challenge for Dombrowski to get everything.
As a team, the Phillies entered the week tied for 28th in the majors in on-base percentage (.304). In particular, they have gotten less production than any team from the right side of the plate, with a worst-in-the-majors .280 on-base percentage and .644 OPS.
But neither Mike Trout nor Byron Buxton has signaled a willingness to waive their no-trade rights. (In Buxton’s case, the Twins are a playoff contender in the American League.) The Reds’ Spencer Steer injured his wrist and may miss the rest of the season; the Royals traded Lane Thomas to the Braves; the Angels’ Jo Adell has a .279 career on-base percentage; and the Orioles were noncommittal on trading Taylor Ward.
(Adell and Ward were ultimately dealt to the Guardians and Mariners, respectively, Monday.)
Given the state of the market, the Phillies felt they needed to get creative. So, they widened their search over the weekend, according to major league sources, and landed on Arraez, who has a .360 on-base percentage and figures to help set the table for Kyle Schwarber and Harper.
“He’s a guy that won the batting title a couple of years and somebody that’s going to put the bat on the ball,” Harper said. “Exciting player, you know? I think he just brings a lot to our lineup. He’s got that hit tool, and it’s somebody that can be really good for us.”
The Phillies also acquired Kilian, a 29-year-old righty, to add depth to the middle of the bullpen. He has a 4.26 ERA in 46 games this season, but hasn’t allowed a run in eight of his last 11 appearances.
The move comes at a cost for a farm system that was already ranked among the worst in baseball.
Marquez, a hard-throwing 20-year-old right-hander, has emerged this season, prompting debate among scouts about whether he or 2025 first-round pick Gage Wood was the best pitching prospect in the system. Scouts are impressed by Marquez’s changeup and an uptick in his fastball velocity. He has a 1.50 ERA in six starts since moving up to high-A Jersey Shore.
Marty Gair, a 23-year-old, was recently promoted to Jersey Shore. He has a 4.50 ERA and six saves in 30 appearances overall this season.
Raley is shaping up as an important addition, especially given the powerhouse Dodgers’ lefty-heavy lineup. In 41⅓ innings with the Mets, the 38-year-old veteran had a 1.96 ERA. A pending free agent, he will join José Alvarado as the lefty weapons to combat Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and Kyle Tucker in the middle and late innings.
“I see him more towards the back end,” Mattingly said. “Obviously we’ve got Alvy, who’s throwing the ball really good. But we’ll take all the arms we can get out there.”
Phillies acquire infielder Luis Arraez from the Giants
Luis Arraez leads the National League with a .324 average and has more walks than strikeouts.Jeff Chiu
Luis Arraez is neither a right-handed hitter nor an outfielder.
But he’s the Phillies’ solution to help the offense.
The Phillies beat the trade deadline Monday by acquiring Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian from the Giants, according to a major-league source.
Philly will send breakout pitching prospect Ramon Marquez and minor league reliever Marty Gair to San Francisco, according to USA Today, although the teams haven’t announced the trade because players were still being informed.
Arraez, 29, has said he prefers to stay at second base, where he has improved defensively this season. In that case, the move for Arraez will force the Phillies to shuffle the defense. It’s unclear how they will do that.
But Arraez is a contact-hitting, on-base machine. He’s leading the National League with a .324 average and has more walks (25) than strikeouts (21). He has a .360 on-base percentage and figures to help set the table for Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
Right-hander Anthony Eyanson is going to the Baltimore Orioles in the Adley Rutschman deal, a source tells ESPN. Big-time pitching prospect who's the centerpiece of the deal.
“His contact-based approach will aid a lineup built around sluggers hitting .250,” McCullough wrote. “The Phillies will also have to hope that his recent defensive improvement can continue without the daily tutelage of infield guru Ron Washington.”
Elsewhere, CBS Sports gave the Phillies a “B+” in part because the deal won’t move “the defensively deficient Trea Turner off of shortstop.” Sports Illustrated gave the Phillies an “A” despite giving up pitching prospect Ramon Marquez because “Arraez is a natural fit to boost an otherwise underperforming offense.”
Braves acquire reliever Brent Suter from the Angels
Trade news: The Atlanta Braves are acquiring left-handed reliever Brent Suter from the Los Angeles Angels for infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr., sources tell ESPN.
Phillies trade for Arraez creates more questions than answers
Will Luis Arraez play second base? Gregory Bull
Do the Phillies have something bigger in play?
You have to wonder because, right now, the decision to trade fast-rising pitching prospect Ramon Marquez for Giants infielder Luis Arraez creates far more questions than answers.
With Arraez reportedly insisting on remaining at second base, where he has graded out as a subpar defender for most of his career, the Phillies don’t have many palatable options to accommodate him within their current personnel structure.
Their best defensive alignment would be putting Arraez at first and moving Bryce Harper to the outfield. But, again, Arraez reportedly doesn’t want to play first. Yet it would be hard to justify moving Trea Turner to the outfield against his will to accommodate Arraez, rather than vice versa.
A report in the Athletic suggests the Phillies are considering putting Bryson Stott at third and Alec Bohm at first. But Stott has played 12 games of third base in his professional career, minor leagues included. That’s an awfully big unknown defensively.
All of these defensive questions might make sense if Arraez were a clear difference-maker. In reality, he’s a left-handed, contact-hitting bat whose batting average is nearly 70 points lower on the road this season, away from San Francisco’s massive outfield. He also has five extra base hits in 111 at-bats since the start of July, with an OPS below .700.
There is a scenario where Arraez could make a great deal of sense. A lot of people have focused on the potential of trading Bohm. But I wonder if Stott is a more likely candidate to move.
I’m having a hard time convincing myself the Phillies would consider such a thing, given how ingrained Stott is within the fabric of the current team. But he still has a year left on his contract after 2026, which means he would have more appeal to a selling team than somebody like Bohm, who will be a free agent after the season.
With an .820 OPS since mid-June, Stott might be a piece the Phillies could leverage for one that better fits their roster, whether in the form of a right-handed hitting outfielder or starting pitcher or both.
Luis Arraez has a career .363 on-base percentageCharlie Riedel
The Phillies are well-acquainted with Luis Arraez’s exceptional bat control.
It’s what’s helped the second baseman build a career .363 on-base percentage. And when he was on the other side — on the Padres in 2024 and 2025 and on the Giants this season — it made him a challenge for the Phillies to defend against.
“We started just moving around in the infield, because he’d look around and just find a hole and hit it there,” Alec Bohm said after the Phillies played San Francisco in April. “He’s just that talented.”
It’s the type of skill that has been missing from the Phillies’ lineup. Arraez doesn’t have much pop, with just four homers this year, but his contact ability helps manufacture offense.
According to Baseball Reference, when Arraez comes to the plate with less than two outs and a runner on third, that runner has scored 72.7% of the time. The league average for those situations is just 50.6%.
Bryce Harper back to the outfield after Phillies land Luis Arraez?
Bryce Harper could move to outfield to make room for Luis Arraez.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
A half-hour after the Phillies lost Friday night in Baltimore, Dave Dombrowski intercepted Bryce Harper in a hallway outside the clubhouse, draped an arm around him, and started talking.
It may have been the genesis of a creative deadline trade.
The move Monday for three-time batting champion Luis Arraez left people, even some within the Phillies organization, guessing about how the infield pieces will fit. The Phillies were trying to add a righty-hitting outfielder, a creature that was more scarce in this marketplace than a Mickey Mantle rookie card. And so, they widened their search over the weekend, according to major league sources, and landed on Arraez, a lefty-hitting contact machine who has made clear that he wants to stay at second base.
One issue: The Phillies’ infield has been set in stone, with Bryson Stott at second base, Trea Turner at shortstop, Alec Bohm at third base, and Harper at first.
The Phillies have been looking for a righty-hitting outfielder for years. Harper, who hasn’t played right field since 2022 and moved to first base midway through the 2023 season after undergoing Tommy John elbow surgery, repeatedly offered to move back to right field, on a short-term basis, even reportedly bringing his outfield glove on the Phillies’ road trip last week. Each time, Dombrowski declined.
“I’ve said it multiple years before — and this year, still: For the right player, I would do it,” Harper said in June. “I mean, that’s as real as it gets. I don’t want to do it long-term. But if the right player comes along and that’s what we need, or if that’s what we want, I’d be open to it at any point. I still feel like I can throw a baseball from right field, and I can catch a fly ball. It’s been a long time. But, yeah, I would do it in a heartbeat for us to win a World Series, without a doubt.”
Dombrowski’s response: “I know he’s always been very open-minded to trying to help the organization however he can, but we haven’t talked to him. And I really don’t contemplate it because I really like the way he goes about his business at first base. … I’m looking at him as being a first baseman.”
But market forces appear to have changed Dombrowski’s thinking.
Most of the available righty-hitting outfielders are platoon players. The Royals dealt one such option, Lane Thomas, to the Braves over the weekend. The Angels are holding Jo Adell, who has a .279 career on-base percentage and another year of club control. The Reds’ Spencer Steer may have been an option for the Phillies, but he sprained his wrist last week and may be out for the rest of the season. Mike Trout and Byron Buxton have indicated they won’t waive their no-trade clauses.
The Phillies turned to Arraez, who is unlike almost any hitter in baseball. He’s a .318 career hitter, including a National League-leading .324 mark this year, and has more walks (25) than strikeouts (21). He has 236 career strikeouts, fewer than the combined total of Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner … this year.
Arraez is having his best defensive season at second base, although Stott plays Gold Glove-caliber defense at second. In any case, Arraez is a pending free agent and isn’t likely to occupy second base beyond this season.
Moving Harper back to right field – plus, Stott to third base and Bohm to first — is probably the cleanest way for the Phillies to accommodate Arraez.
But there are other options. Turner, who leads the majors with 18 errors, briefly played center field with the Nationals in 2016. In that scenario, Stott would return to shortstop, where he played in 2022 when the Phillies went to the World Series.
Or the Phillies could attempt to trade Bohm for a starting pitcher — perhaps in a buyer-to-buyer swap – and move Stott to third base.
Phillies trade for Mets relief pitcher Brooks Raley
Reliever Brooks Raley is reportedly heading to the Phillies’ bullpen.Erin Hooley
In a move to reinforce the bullpen, the Phillies turned to … the Mets?
On the heels of a larger trade for second baseman Luis Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian from the Giants, the Phillies acquired lefty reliever Brooks Raley from the Mets for minor league right-hander Luke Gabrysh and outfielder John Spikerman, a major-league source confirmed. The teams haven’t announced the deal because the players were being informed.
Raley, 38, has a 1.96 ERA in 41 1/3 innings for the Mets. A pending free agent, he figures to slot into the bullpen alongside fellow lefties Jose Alvarado and Tim Mayza and righties Orion Kerkering and Jonathan Bowlan as the primary pieces in the bridge to closer Jhoan Duran.
All along, the Mets appeared to be a source for the Phillies to find relief help. The Mets are among the few aggressive sellers in the marketplace and already moved relievers A.J. Minter (to the Twins) and Huascar Brazobán (to the White Sox). They also have gotten offers for Luke Weaver, who is under contract for 2027, and closer-turned-starter Clay Holmes.
The Angels will receive SS Arjun Nimmala (TOR No. 2 prospect per @MLBPipeline, No. 43 overall), OF Eddie Micheletti and RHP Angel Rivero in return for Soriano, sources tell me and @JonathanMayo.
The Mets’ Clay Holmes could give the Mets help in the rotation for the rest of the regular season and then move into the bullpen for the playoffs.Ross D. Franklin
Mets right-hander Clay Holmes made three minor league starts in his recovery from a right leg fracture.
The Phillies scouted all of them.
Holmes, who threw 73 pitches Sunday for high-A Brooklyn, was the Mets’ best starter until he got hit by a comebacker on May 15. The 33-year-old is uniquely suited to help the Phillies address their pitching needs on multiple levels.
Initially, Holmes could slot into the rotation behind Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesús Luzardo to help nudge the Phillies into the postseason. And then, once they get there, the former All-Star closer with the Yankees could slide into the bullpen to give interim manager Don Mattingly another late-inning option before closer Jhoan Duran.
But would the out-of-contention Mets trade with a division rival, especially the Phillies? The teams haven’t paired up on a trade since New York sent lefty Jason Vargas to the Phillies for a minor leaguer at the deadline in 2019.
Holmes is almost certain to decline his $12 million player option for 2027, which would make him a free agent. The Mets have only four games remaining against the Phillies this season. Holmes has a 2.39 ERA in 52⅔ innings in nine starts.
In addition to having a scout follow Holmes’ rehab starts, the Phillies have gotten looks at most other starting pitchers in the marketplace, including Giants lefty Robbie Ray, who has a 1.69 ERA in 64 innings over his last 11 starts. Although Ray doesn’t have as much experience or success out of the bullpen as Holmes, he has appeared in relief in the postseason, including twice for the Mariners in 2022.
Could Bryan De La Cruz be a trade-day alternative?
Bryan De La Cruz is giving the Phillies something to think about ahead of the deadline. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Last year, on the eve of the deadline, the Phillies completed a massive trade for star closer Jhoan Duran during a rain delay.
They had two downpours Sunday to make another splash.
No such luck.
There’s still time. Club executives have until 6 p.m. Monday before they must put down their pencils and live with the rosters they’ve built, at least for the duration of the season. And so, Dave Dombrowski keeps working the phones.
In the meantime, Bryan De La Cruz is giving the Phillies something to think about.
A veteran outfielder who finally got called up two weeks ago after 3½ months in triple A, De La Cruz crushed a two-run homer in the third inning of a rain-interrupted (twice) 8-0 thumping of the Orioles that was shortened to six innings after a second midgame downpour.
Make it back-to-back victories for the Phillies after four consecutive losses. And make it nine hits and six RBIs in 20 at-bats for De La Cruz since his arrival.
Impressive? Sure. Enough to call off the Phillies’ search for a right-handed bat? Probably not. But it might alter it.
Orioles slugger Taylor Ward fits the Phillies’ needs. But is he on the market?
Taylor Ward has a .383 on-base percentage and fits the Phillies’ needs.Chris O'Meara
Outfielders who are productive from the right side of the plate and potentially available in this trade market are almost as rare as a Mickey Mantle rookie card.
The Phillies just got an up-close look at one of them.
The Orioles’ Taylor Ward would be a fit for the Phillies, who were last in the majors with a .279 on-base mark and .639 OPS from their right-handed hitters.
One obstacle: The Orioles are on the buyer-seller fence.
“We’re not going to have a strong bias in either direction,” Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said before Baltimore opened a three-game series against the Phillies. “We put ourselves in a position where we’re not declaring ourselves to be in one bucket or another in terms of buying or selling.”
After losing two of three to the Phillies this weekend, The Orioles are 54-58 and haven’t been over .500 since April 14 (9-8). But they were only 2½ games out of a wild-card spot in a mediocre, to put it kindly, American League.
Elias said the Orioles are closing in on getting catchers Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo, third baseman Blaze Alexander, starter Chris Bassitt, and closer Ryan Helsley back from the injured list.
And unlike National League bubble teams, who would have to contend in October with the superpower Dodgers and Brewers, the field is wide-open in the AL. Any team that makes the playoffs has a chance to make a deep run.
In that case, the Orioles may hold on to Ward, sixth in the AL in on-base percentage. Then again, he’s a pending free agent. And the righty-hitting outfield market got even thinner last week with injuries to the Reds’ Spencer Steer and Giants’ Casey Schmitt.
So, if the Orioles try to buy and sell simultaneously, maybe they can cash in Ward for a controllable asset.
Other right-hitting outfield options for the Phillies
Los Angeles Angels’ Jo Adell is on the Phillies’ radar ahead of the trade deadline.Caroline Brehman
Dave Dombrowski convened more than a dozen executives, analysts, and scouts in Baltimore for the weekend. They continue to pursue a right-handed bat, a late-inning reliever, and a starting pitcher, according to multiple league sources.
In addition to Orioles slugger Taylor Ward, the Phillies are exploring other righty-hitting outfield options.
Among them are Angels’ Jo Adell, the Dodgers’ Alex Call, and the Giants’ Heliot Ramos.
The Reds’ Spencer Steer and the Giants’ Casey Schmitt might have been options if they hadn’t gotten injured. The Phillies were interested in the Royals’ Lane Thomas before he got traded to the Braves late Saturday night.
The Phillies have been linked Jeff Hoffman, who pitched in Philly two seasons.Julio Cortez
The trade deadline is just hours away — 6 p.m. Monday — and Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is trying to fill multiple needs.
Chief among them: late-inning relief, which was amplified by Friday night’s seventh-inning meltdown.
The Phillies have been linked to old friend Jeff Hoffman, who has a 4.02 ERA for the Blue Jays but also has given up two earned runs in 19⅔ innings since June 9.
They have expressed interest in Padres lefty Adrián Morejón, but San Diego was only game behind the Phillies for the last wild-card spot entering play Saturday.
Kerkering sounded like he expects that the Phillies will reinforce the bullpen.
“Everyone knows it at the end of the day,” he said. “But I don’t think anyone thinks about it, like when you’re out there or getting ready for the day.”
Latest MLB trade deals includes the Braves adding a starter
Tyler Mahle is headed to Atlanta.Jed Jacobsohn
Here are some notable MLB trades that have happened so far, according to team announcements and multiple reports:
Braves land starter Tyler Mahle: The veteran right hander heads to his fifth team, while the Giants receive Anthony Molina.
White Sox trade for Huascar Brazobán: In exchange, the selling Mets landed two prospects, per reports – starter Gabe Davis and reliever Zach Franklin.
Cubs acquire veteran pitcher Kevin Gausman: The Cubs land a starter while sending the Blue Jays two prospects – infielder Ty Southisene and outfielder Brett Bateman
Dodgers landing Tarik Skubal is humbling to the Phillies
The centerpiece of the Tarik Skubal trade is a good example of the Dodgers’ skill in this prospect thing.Paul Sancya
Nobody wants to admit it, but the Dodgers deserve Tarik Skubal.
Los Angeles landed him the old fashioned way. They drafted, developed, traded, and signed their way to a circumstance where they could trade a highly valued outfield prospect for three months of service that will only pad their odds of completing a three-peat that they were favored to accomplish anyway.
That’s what you should focus on. The dignity of the deal. Not the Dodgers’ myriad of other competitive advantages. The endless payroll. The creative accounting. The market size, location, and glitz. None of them matter as much as the fundamentals. The Dodgers are simply better at identifying and nurturing talent than any other organization. To focus on anything else is to give your own organization a pass.
The Dodgers traded for Skubal because they could.
They had four outfielders ranked among the 40 best prospects in the game, for crying out loud. Three of them were at Double-A already. Their big league outfield already includes young breakout star Andy Pages in center field and Kyle Tucker in right. Not only do they have high-end prospects that other teams want, they can afford to trade some of them. In fact, they almost have to trade some of them.
From 2021 through 2026, the Dodgers had 22 players appear on at least one of the major national Top 100 lists. The Phillies had eight during the same time span. Only two teams in the majors had fewer than the Phillies. Only three teams in the majors had more than the Dodgers.
MLB’s trade deadline is 6 p.m. Monday.Mitchell Leff / MCT
The MLB trade deadline is Monday at 6 p.m.
Historically, the trade deadline always fell on July 31, but commissioner Rob Manfred is able to set the deadline any day between July 28 and Aug. 3, so it avoids falling on a weekend and doesn’t conflict with any games.
After the trade deadline expires, players on 40-man rosters can no longer be traded from club to club. Players can still be placed and claimed on outright waivers.
Minor league players not on 40-man rosters can still be traded after the deadline.
BALTIMORE — Last year, on the eve of the deadline, the Phillies completed a massive trade for star closer Jhoan Duran during a rain delay.
They had two downpours Sunday to make another splash.
No such luck.
There’s still time. Club executives have until 6 p.m. Monday before they must put down their pencils and live with the rosters they’ve built, at least for the duration of the season. And so, Dave Dombrowski keeps working the phones.
In the meantime, Bryan De La Cruz is giving the Phillies something to think about.
A veteran outfielder who finally got called up two weeks ago after 3½ months in triple A, De La Cruz crushed a two-run homer in the third inning of a rain-interrupted (twice) 8-0 thumping of the Orioles that was shortened to six innings after a second midgame downpour.
Make it back-to-back victories for the Phillies after four consecutive losses. And make it nine hits and six RBIs in 20 at-bats for De La Cruz since his arrival.
Impressive? Sure. Enough to call off the Phillies’ search for a right-handed bat? Probably not. But it might alter it.
“I mean, we played against him a lot, obviously seeing him in Miami,” said Bryce Harper, who homered in the fifth inning in between the rain. “He’s always got a good swing, good pop. Good to see him swinging that well.”
The Orioles’ grounds crew was busy Sunday with two rain delays in the middle of an 8-0 Phillies victory that was shortened to six innings.Stephanie Scarbrough
Speaking of sights for sore eyes, six days after Zack Wheeler’s fastball velocity nosedived in his worst start of the season, his heater climbed back to 96 mph and sat at 94-95. All along, interim manager Don Mattingly claimed he wasn’t concerned; Wheeler dismissed Monday night in Miami as merely a bad day.
But still, given his importance to the whole thing, team officials were relieved to see Wheeler look like Wheeler.
If only he got to do it for more than two innings.
“It is what it is,” said Wheeler, who retired six of seven batters on 32 pitches, then said he threw another 40-something pitches under the stands during a 1-hour, 49-minute rain delay. “I’m not frustrated, really. I felt good. I felt better than the other day.”
As a group, the Phillies said the same after rebounding from getting swept in Miami by taking two of three from the Orioles.
By Monday evening, they hope to feel even better.
Dombrowski convened more than a dozen executives, analysts, and scouts in Baltimore for the weekend. They continue to pursue a right-handed bat, a late-inning reliever, and a starting pitcher, according to multiple league sources.
Given the supply in an extreme seller’s market, the bat may be the hardest thing to find. The Reds’ Spencer Steer and the Giants’ Casey Schmitt might have been options if they hadn’t gotten injured. The Phillies were interested in the Royals’ Lane Thomas before he got traded to the Braves late Saturday night.
The Phillies got an up-close look at the Orioles’ Taylor Ward over the weekend. But Baltimore is straddling the buyer-seller fence, as president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Friday, and might choose to hold on to Ward, even though he’s a pending free agent.
Other possibilities include the Angels’ Jo Adell and the Dodgers’ Alex Call.
Then, there’s De La Cruz, a 29-year-old righty-hitting outfielder with 60 homers as a replacement-level player in a winding major league career. He wasn’t called up from triple A until after the Phillies gave looks to Otto Kemp, Felix Reyes, and lefty-hitting Gabriel Rincones Jr.
“It’s a dream come true, really,” De La Cruz said through a team interpreter. “I spent the last three or four years playing against this team, so being a part of it, it’s just really fun. I’m just thankful and grateful for the opportunity.”
Mattingly was De La Cruz’s first major league manager with the Marlins in 2021. As a rookie, De La Cruz batted .297 with five homers and a .783 OPS.
Upon getting called up after the All-Star break, De La Cruz started mostly against lefties. Lately, Mattingly has given him at-bats against righties, too, leaving Rincones as an odd-man out.
“De La’s been good, right?” Mattingly said. “He’s just solid. And he’s been that guy that, parts of his career, it’s like been really good.”
If anything, De La Cruz’s production may compel the Phillies to widen their search to include a left-handed bat, such as Blue Jays center fielder Daulton Varsho. Outfield remains the easiest place to add a hitter, but if they trust De La Cruz, they could shift to Giants second baseman Luis Arraez, a move that would require a reshuffling of the infield.
Brandon Marsh singled as part of a two-run fourth inning in the Phillies’ rain-shortened 8-0 victory over the Orioles.Stephanie Scarbrough
Or they could reserve their biggest swing for pitching help. The Phillies had a scout in Brooklyn on Sunday to watch Mets righty Clay Holmes, who is coming back from a leg fracture. As a former closer and now a starter, Holmes could help deepen the rotation before shifting to the bullpen in the playoffs.
In any case, De La Cruz could create additional options.
“I can’t control what the team wants to do or doesn’t want to do, or if they make a move,” De La Cruz said. “I can’t control that. What I can control is what I do on the field, and I think that’s something that I’ll be focusing on.”
The Phillies couldn’t control the weather in the finale against the Orioles. Mattingly said the forecast he received before the game called for the rain to hold off until 3 p.m. It started almost 90 minutes earlier, and by the third inning, with the Phillies leading 2-0 on De La Cruz’s homer, puddles began forming in the infield. The conditions were unplayable.
And by the time the first wave of rain tapered off and the field was prepared, too much time had elapsed for either team to bring back their starting pitcher.
″I know they’re trying to make the best decision, but that was a little frustrating,” Mattingly said. “At the end of the day, it worked out.”
BALTIMORE — Bryson Stott was back in his room at the Phillies’ hotel here late Saturday night when the news came across his phone.
Tarik Skubal was traded …
… to the Dodgers.
Gulp?
“No, I mean, you don’t say that,” Stott said Sunday — a.k.a., Trade Deadline Eve — before the Phillies wrapped up a series against the Orioles. “Everyone’s trying to get better. You’re not scared of anyone or anything like that. As a competitor, you’re not like, ‘Oh great, they got him.’”
Sure, but the road to the World Series in the National League was always going to run through the Dodgers. And the two-time defending champs just landed the two-time reigning Cy Young winner in the other league.
“It’s a little shocking with [the Tigers] being still in it,” Kyle Schwarber said. “That was the weird thing to me. Maybe they just know something that none of us know and they just wanted to do something. I guess it was what they thought was the best quote-unquote deal.”
OK, to be clear: This isn’t simply a case of the rich getting richer. In addition to being a financial goliath, the Dodgers have the third-best farm system in the sport, according to Baseball America’s midseason rankings, with seven top-100 prospects.
The Phillies’ system ranks 29th and was labeled Sunday by one rival talent evaluator as “weak.” Zyhir Hope, a 21-year-old outfielder and the centerpiece of the three players headed to Detroit, is the No. 55 prospect in baseball and the sixth-best in the Dodgers’ system. He would likely be the Phillies’ top prospect.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is working the phones to try to add players before Monday’s trade deadline.Gene J. Puskar
So, no, the Phillies couldn’t put together a package to compete with the Dodgers for Skubal. Besides, they need a late-inning reliever and a right-handed bat, in addition to a starting pitcher. It puts Dave Dombrowski in “a tough spot,” as one NL team official said, because he has multiple holes to fill and few high-level prospects to cash in.
Unlike the Dodgers, who led the NL West by 10 games entering play Sunday, the Phillies aren’t a shoo-in for the postseason. Although they were in possession of the final NL playoff spot, they led the Padres by only one game and the Marlins by 1½.
Asked for his reaction to Skubal-to-the-Dodgers, interim manager Don Mattingly joked, “What happened?”
“No, we’ve got enough issues just taking care of our own business,” Mattingly said. “If we get to them, we’ll deal with it then.”
If the Phillies do get to the postseason, they’re viewed across the sport — even within the Dodgers’ front office — as a tough matchup, especially in a seven-game series, because of their starting pitching. Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo, in particular, are left-handed; the Dodgers are far more productive from the left side of the plate (.811 OPS) than the right (.721).
Last year, the Dodgers won two one-run games to edge the Phillies in the division series and expressed relief to have advanced. But that was before Skubal, who will join Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan, and maybe Shohei Ohtani in the Dodgers’ bottomless stable of starters.
It only makes the challenge more formidable.
“You know how good they are and how good we are,” Stott said. “I think our starters match up with anybody in the league. Obviously I think everyone would love a guy like [Skubal]. I’m sure there were other teams involved, too, and that’s who [the Tigers] went with. Can’t fault them.”
In three career starts against the Phillies, Tarik Skubal has a 2.37 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 19 innings.Paul Sancya
The Phillies faced Skubal three weeks ago in Detroit and scored two runs in five innings of a 5-0 victory behind Wheeler. In three career starts against the Phillies, the hard-throwing lefty has a 2.37 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 19 innings.
Schwarber, who played with Skubal on Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, recalled facing him for the first time in spring training in 2022.
“I was like, ‘Oh [crap], this kid’s throwing 100,’ you know, with a hard-breaking ball and then the good changeup,“ Schwarber said. ”I was like, ‘Well, the kid’s got some good stuff.’ And then to see where he developed to, the picture of where he is now.
“So, yeah, good trade for [the Dodgers], right? I don’t think anyone would look and say, if they traded for that caliber of a starting pitcher, that they would be upset.”
But Schwarber said the Phillies won’t like their chances against the Dodgers any less if they get to face them in the playoffs.
“Everyone always talks about their payroll. That hasn’t guaranteed them anything,” Schwarber said. “It’s worked out these last two years. But you kind of go back, I remember when I was with Chicago, [the Dodgers] won the West for how many years? I mean, 2020 was their first championship.
“I think one of our biggest things is that we’ve got to make it there, right? And if we match up with them again, anyone can beat anyone.”
The Dodgers made their big move. Dombrowski has two more days to come up with a counter.
Aidan Miller had a spinal procedure in early June to treat a back conditionJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Extra bases
Backup catcher Rafael Marchan (knee) could play in minor-league games later in the week, according to Mattingly. … Top prospect Aidan Miller, who had a spinal procedure in early June to treat a back condition, is “back to playing catch,” according to a source. … The Phillies return home Monday night. Aaron Nola (3-9, 5.61 ERA) is scheduled to face the Nationals, who haven’t named a starting pitcher.
