424 thoughts on “Phillies Discussion 7/28/2025”

1. This is the week ladies and gents. Either they do something big and become a legit WS title contender, or were likely a huge underdog to go far. Should be fun! Heres hoping DD pushes his chips in the middle.

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2. Just saw Phillies mentioned possibly for Bednar, Duran, Hellsley. Article felt these might be the best made available. Who would be choice of these 3?

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   1. Id rank them Duran/Hellsley/Bednar. I have a mental block for wanting Bednar since he was so bad last year and early this year that he actually got sent down to the minors. I know that he has righted the ship and has been lights out since then, but a guy who is prone to implosions like that might not be awesome pitching in such a high pressure environment. The “every game feels like a playoff game” atmosphere that phillies fans create at the bank on a nightly basis has been too much for many players to handle, and I worry Bednar would fit into that category. Is he the kind of guy who comes in, gives up some runs, fans turn on him, and he falls apart mentally? I think that could be the case with him. Of course, if they do decide togo with him ill be all in on him and just hope Im wrong.

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      1. Bednar would be a good add at a lower cost, but I would expect them to add another set up guy besides Robertson on top of that addition.

         My ideal OF addition would be Kwan even though he is a lefty. That may result in Kepler and possibly Marsh being moved in the trade or another trade. But they still need another good right handed OF added beyond Kwan. That could be Suarez (3B, move others) but that is adding another high strike out guy to the lineup.

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         1. Yup. All players have their “buts” Suarez is the RH power bat “but” hes not THAT much of an upgrade over Bohm and its not a position of need and he strikes out. Kwan is great BUT its another LH bat.

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            1. Maybe in a typical year, he wouldn’t be a big upgrade, but this year, he’s playing like a big time star – 3.4 WAR. That’s a very big upgrade over Bohm.

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         2. Kwan’s splits indicate he hits lefties almost as well as righties…..just, unfortunately, for little power….. but that is why we pay the big boys of the Fab Five the big $$$$$ to provide the power surge.

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   2. Bednar then Hellsley…I don’t think Duran gets traded at all so I just don’t think he’s even an option right now.

      adds another Lefty. Since end of May has been brilliant. Controllable next yr. Can let Alvarado walk. Checks a bunch of boxes.

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   3. Duran, Duran….I am hungry like the wolf to win it.

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3. Jim – is the Ross injury good luck or bad luck?

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   1. Neither?

      Ross had a role, and he filled it. He was their multi-innings guy when Walker was a starter. He pitched multiple innings in 14 of his 31 appearances. He finished 6 games and opened one. He won 2 games, he lost one game, he blew 2 saves. One the Phillies came back and won; the other was his loss. Most of the runs he gave up were in games the Phillies had already won or lost. He wasn’t added to the Injury List to make room for a prospect or a guy we traded for. He was replaced by Alan Rangel.

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4. I also hope they dont just go all in on bullpen and forget about getting a RH power bat. To me, thats more important than the pen arm. Especially if Strahm is back, which he looks to be, and guys like Lazar continue to show they can handle pitching in somewhat high leverage spots. Every time i squint when watching Daniel Robert i kind of see a guy who could put it together and become a GUY too, but anytime I get excited he gives up a home run or something. But at least Lazar has shown he belongs and probably can be on a postseason roster. Kerkering is a dog, Strahm is pitching well again….the pen might end up not being horrible come October. Still go get a guy (and dfa romano) but dont ignore the glaring needs on offense as well

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5. The Robertson signing suggests to me they aren’t planning to go all in on a BP arm. In the sense that any of our big name prospects get moved for one.

   That said when they get to the playoffs and Alvarado is not on the roster a power lefty would be a hole.

   Still not sure who the big RH bat is that everyone thinks we should get. If its Suarez for Bohm straight up ok. I can see that as an upgrade but not sure why you would give more than that for a rental.

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   1. At this point im willing to pay a reduced price for Robert (as compared to what he would have cost last year). He has been playing somewhat better and in a worst case scenario hes an upgrade on Rojas, with the potential to be more if he really does just need to GTFO of Chicago and get a fresh start with some real hitters protecting him in the lineup

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6. i was wondering .Am I the only one who got mad over Rojas not getting burnt down imo he cost them the game. He gets burnt down. The third basemen wouldn’t have been deep on turner and that ball gets thru.his throw to the plate was saved by a unreal play be Realmuto. And he misolayex d the line drive early in game. Why Crawford isn’t up is crazy

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   1. And then Schwarber’s fly out to the track would’ve been a sac fly. Not getting the bunt down cost them two runs.

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      1. Just one, the Schwarber ball to the track would have still been the third out.

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         1. Not if Turner was safe because the infield would have been in.

            Although of course they might have been pitched differently so who knows

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   2. Their insistence of Rojas has been puzzling to me. He cant bunt and hes supposed to be a speed/defense guy but hes had blunders in the field and on the bases. And of course he offers zero pop. The Crawford thing is silly, its like they are afraid that if he didnt hit .400 his first week in the majors then nobody would want to trade for him anymore.

      I will play devils advocate on one thing; i always have to chime in when people say “if x happened then y would have happened” but if he did get the bunt down, you cant assume Trea and Schwarber have the exact same at bats that they ended up having. The pitching would be different. So you cant just say “that ball would have been a hit” because he probably doesnt hit that same ball. Just a pet peeve of mine lol. Overall your point is well taken – Rojas is not good and is not a MLB player at least not on a good team

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   3. I only saw part of Rojas’ at bat, I must confess, but I thought he took three called strikes. Needless to say, I was livid at Thomson for not having him bunt even down to his last strike in his PA. I could be wrong on this, but I thought that Rojas batted in exactly in the same situation in Saturday’s game and laid one down, which should have been the call yesterday. Why Thomson didn’t have him bunt throughout his entire AB baffled the hell out of me. Sure, the batters have to execute, but Thomson’s passive game management, I strongly believe, cost them a sweep. Needless to say, I am not a fan at all of Topper and I believe that with the same personnel, someone smarter and prone to better decision-making would get more out of the offense.

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      1. Rojas…..now in his third. Little progression at the plate. May be a candidate for a DFA after the season. That is if Crawford is still here come Friday.

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         1. …..now in his third YEAR…..

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      2. He showed bunt on the first pitch, but pulled it back (on a strike). They then called the bunt off because the Yankees shifted to defend the bunt (leaving a huge hole up the middle). And then Rojas just watched the next two strikes in basically the same exact spot.

         They were good pitches, but they weren’t so good that he couldn’t bunt/make contact. It was a terrible at bat. And if a competent hitter were up, I could see the justification of calling off the bunt after seeing the defensive alignment. But everyone in that stadium knew Rojas wasn’t going to punish the shift.

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         1. Thanks, Dan. Appreciate it.

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7. I could see a trade of Abel and another 2 lesser prospects for Duran and Harrison Bader. Bader can walk at the end of the year but is having a very good year for him (also makes 2 mm) – he is hitting with power and is a bona fide good fielder and can run – he can play all OF positions well. Duran, as sited above – is the best of all the closers “available” if indeed, he is available. I do not see Phils trading Abel even up for G. Jax – Abel is more valuable than that.

   There is so little available in the hitting department – Bader and the O’s Laureano stand out as the best options – and they are similar players at that.

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8. Here I go agreeing with Moffo again. I was thinking about this since it happened Sunday afternoon. Wheeler did not have his best stuff and the Yankees always tend to give him a tough time when they face him.

   However, if Rojas catches the line drive, the entire complexion of that inning changes. The Yanks definitely don’t score 4 runs. Rojas actually overran that ball. For all his defensive prowess, he is not always dependable.

   Then, not getting that bunt down was part two. The guy just can’t hit. Ya gotta believe that Crawford will hit lefties better than Rojas hits lefties. I think there’s a good chance we see Crawford up next week. As for Rojas……

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9. I know here we only care about our Phillies but the dram surrounding the other teams that just want to get in and at the same time have to figure out should they buy or sell based on their WC chances.

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   1. DMAR…..once MLB added that extra team to the WC pool…..things have changed. For one , the July 31st deadline probably sees many cautious teams, still with hope, unwilling to trade arms or bats. So there may be more buyers than sellers, demand outnumbers the goods, prices then go up. The few sellers can create and raise their own tariffs.

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10. I think getting Brewer Hicklin signifies that Crawford is up or out at the deadline. LHV doesn’t need him. They have four guys that can and should play every day with Crawford, Kroon, Rincones and Stevenson. Plus Reyes at Reading is having a strong season as a 24 year old with 1,000 plus MiLB AB’s. No reason to get Hicklin unless you think you need to replace Crawford.

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    1. This is the second time they traded cash considerations for this guy!

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11. https://x.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1949876364938461185?t=REVy51nfkS0DWQ-Fv0Q8Yw&s=19

    clase under investigation

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    1. Phils could get him for cheap now!

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       1. Probably faces an 80 game suspension or a full year suspension…..when they say a player is under investigation…they have the goods on him already. Only thing left for the players is an appeal. Good luck on that effort.

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          1. Romus if there is no baseball in 2027. We should start a picture Phillies softball team. I can play but need a portal potty at second.at my age

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             1. We’ll have them put a cane rack and a walker stand right next to it. You still like the really soft tissue, right?

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    2. Thank goodness we didn’t land him and then have that kind of development break… goodness

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12. With players vehemently opposed to the salary cap, I think it’s a foregone conclusion that MLB will lockout the players after 2026 and we’ll likely lose the 2027 season.

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    1. Are the players opposed or is it MLBPA? Rank and file do not always see eye to eye with their union leaders.

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       1. Considering that Harper “cussed out” Manfred, I think the megastars (i.e the ones getting paid the most) are against the cap.

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       2. I think a walk out of any length is highly, highly unlikely. MLB has adopted the NFL’s strategy of giving the best deals to the average player and then forcing things to a vote. It’s exactly how the last NFL and MLB CBAs were reached, the union wanted the moon and the leagues sent a deal that was much more favorable to the average, rank-and-file player and, in both cases, the deals were accepted. I expect that strategy to continue and to be successful! But I agree a cap will be a hard sell unless it’s ridiculously high.

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          1. Not just as a fan of this team but I would expect a cap should be about where the Phillies are spending currently. I don’t think any team other than the Dodgers really can go past this level comfortably. If the cap escalates and you have a floor that is reasonable I think you can get there but not sure what the players could really get that would be worth allowing the cap.

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             1. I don’t think the cap would be that high. I think something doable would be a floor/cap of 150/225. There are 10 teams over $225M and 10 teams under $150M.

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                1. Many small market owners may want and lean towards a lower floor. So within the owners group there also could be some division.

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                2. In order for negotiations to work, it needs to hurt the players AND the owners. As much as we can’t have the Dodgers outspending everybody, we can’t have the Marlins “bare-bonesing” it every year.

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                3. Casty became the locker-room mediator bewteen harper and Manfred:

                   “Rob seems to be in a pretty desperate place on how important it is to get this salary cap because he’s floating the word ‘lockout’ two years in advance of our collective bargaining agreement [expiration],” Castellanos told Passan. “That’s nothing to throw around. That’s the same thing as me saying in a marriage, ‘I think divorce is a possibility. It’s probably going to happen.’ You don’t just say those thing”

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                4. A cap of $225m would definitely trigger a strike – I don’t think even the “average” mlb players are going to vote for that. But I’m glad Harper lashed out – the owners need to know the players are going to wall on something. That said, the massive discrepancy in payroll is a huge problem – the small market teams are joke. They essentially have no chance to win – the sport desperately needs revenue sharing or something to make these teams competitive for more than a one-off year or two. The Brewers and Rays are model small/medium market teams – but it’s not ideal and hard to duplicate. And, by the way, this is why you’re having teams lose a record number of games. It’s horrible for the sport.

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          2. If Manfred really wants to avoid a lockout and get a cap, every conversation with players should start w a floor. I’d be curious as to the overall thoughts on players on a floor. Like, sure Harper doesn’t want a cap but how many players are actaully in that stratosphere? If there is a floor, it should help out the middle to lower tier of players quite a bit more. Like, if I’m Brandon Marsh, a perfectly competent average player, a floor has it’s appeal. I’m never getting the $30+ mil a year but a floor keeps me paid while also helping me not get replaced by a younger guy just because they are cheaper and can save money. The Harper’s are going to be the loud voices, but I do wonder if I cap would help MORE players than it would hurt if a floor is included

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             1. and to Boras’s comments on Harper and the MLB draft – yes, the top of the top has stagnated, though on the whole guys are getting paid WAY more money. Mid first round picks were getting about 1 mill. during Harper’s draft year. Boris is an agent but as much as there is disparity between owners and players, their is also a disparity between MLB players as well.

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13. Carlos carrasco traded to the Braves

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    1. Wow, the Braves are just grabbing any warm body that they can find to finish off the season. This is also an indication that they have completely ran through their depth at AAA.

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14. Luis Robert has a .632 OPS (0.6 WAR). His 2023 season (5.3 WAR) is looking like an outlier. He has 2 team options at $20M each ($2M buyout each). At his current production, will anybody really exercise his team option? Robert definitely needs a change of scenery but $20M is a steep price to pay for it.

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    1. He is the reverse Marsh. He hits lefty pitching really well (.294/.422/.966 OPS) but can’t hit RHP (.176/.249/.525 OPS).

       So yeah, $20 mil is way too much to pay for a platoon against only LHP.

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15. Over in the Draft Discussion, the Phillies have reached agreement with their top 19 draft picks.

    The Draft Tracker is up-to-date.

    The Phillies spent all but $170 of their allotment plus 5%.

    I’ll leave the Draft Discussion open for a couple days before I close it to comments.

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    1. On Dollar Dog Night….that buys 170 Hatfield dogs.

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       1. Phils don’t do dollar dog night anymore. Changed it to two for $5. So 68.

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    2. What impressive work by the draft team!!!! Can’t fine-tune it much better than that!

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16. If the Phillies secure Robert Jr in a trade, he would be paid $5M as his salary this year is $15M. Then, there is a $2M buyout so that’s $7M total for 2 months plus the playoffs should the Phillies get there.

    The White Sox, in my opinion, would need to pick up about half of the money to get a decent return of minor leaguers unless the Phillies threw in Marsh in the deal. Not likely, but possible.

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    1. I’m not entirely sure, but if you buyout his 2026 you have to buyout 2027. So Robert will cost you $9M.

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    2. You’re forgetting the overage for being i. The highest tax tier. So that $5 million pick up is really $10 million after the tax.

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17. Guru – I think we are both incorrect. The buyout is only for 2026 and then if he is resigned for ’26, the buyout is also for ’27. I think what’s left on his 2025 salary is $5M.

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    1. 2026 Club Option includes a $2M buyout

       2027 Club Option includes a $2M buyout (if 2026 exercised)

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18. it should be interesting to see if he plays in this 3 game set or is benched for safety reasons ?

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19. Looks like the Tigers got a starter today…Chris Paddock from the Twins. They have lost 12 of their last 14 but may be turning it around after yesterday’s win.

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20. So, with Clase off limits can we PLEASE stop the wild, uninformed speculation about the Guardians trading Kwan, especially to us? There is ZERO evidence that this stupid internet-driven “possibility” has any basis in reality. Even if he were available he’d cost a ton, and would add a LH bat whose performance against LH pitching isn’t as good as vs RH pitching.

    A reminder that the Guardians are my other other (since childhood, and I’m 64) and I actually follow them.

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    1. Kwan vs LHP ’24………319/.392/.447

       Kwan vs LHP ’25 so far after 151 PAs……..257/.307/.301

       Still better than most Phillies LHBs vs LHPs, except Schwarber or Harper.

       Will they move him……only at the right price.

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    2. https://x.com/PhilsTailgate/status/1950042261334446250

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       1. I am now reading informed comments from Cleveland that the Clase situation might force their front office to do something drastic.

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21. Sanchwz velocity little down?

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    1. Doesn’t look like it. Checking his pitch speeds on Gamecast, he’s pretty much dead on for his season averages.

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22. Ryne sandberg passes away at 65

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    1. Just saw. Damn. Prostate cancer.

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23. Offense didn’t go from NY to Chicago I guess. This is hard to watch.

    Another wasted pitching performance.

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    1. Casty loves helping out pitchers, especially when hits would drive in needed runs. Not very good at getting to balls in the field, either.

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       1. I think what this team lacks they’re not going to find by Thursday. I think they think they are winners and the salaries might suggest that but I see a bunch of Beta guys going through the motions, forgetting any plans while at the plate. I won’t be disappointed by anything that does or doesn’t happen this week. There’s dry rot in the walls no plaster will correct.

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          1. Rangers were 60-44 on this day in 2023. Losses happen. Teams get hot and cold. Yes this team has it’s issues. It also has the ability to won a WS. People need to stop acting like every other team doesn’t go through these motions.

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             1. I’ve watched the team all year minus a stretch this month when I was away. I’m not basing my take on a game or a series. And if I’m wrong,I’ll own it. Last year they were cutting their losses with guys like Merrifield. This year they’re swallowing it.

                There is no runaway team this year so it’s a shame the Phils aren’t better. The trades others and I propose are emeaningless in the current context, Time has been called on a lot of guys playing under big contracts. I like Kemp but none of the young guys have really stepped up. here’s no one on the farm they seem to feel can help. Nothing out of the mouth of Dombrowski or Thomson inspires confidence. They appear out of ideas..

                The team that takes it all could catch a flame and emerge from nowhere. But this team has played 2/3’s of this season after largely 3 seasons together. Soyou tell me where the flame will come from.

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                1. The proverbial “flame” has always been there. It’s whether it catches fire 🔥 at the precise time of ….October. That’s it. And yes you have every right to be frustrated. And I’m not knocking you FF. But the reality of the current MLB is good enough to make the playoffs and get hot.

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                2. Win or lose…I’d let Topper go at the end of the season. Seems like a wonderful dude. Time for something different.

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                3. Are the Phillies the phoenix rising from the ashes?

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24. I would trade Bohm, Casty, Marsh, and release Kepler. Trade for Suarez, call up Crawford and get a reliever. I agree with FF……This team REALLY needs a shakeup.

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    1. I’d also add to that trading for Bobby Witt Jr and MacKenzie Gore.

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25. Romus. Colson Montgomery is another Indiana kid. He was a fast riser for the Sox. On Cubs and White Sox games I only get their announcers. They said his HR was the first by a LH hitter this season off Sanchez. I had just told Ruff that Robert hits lefties well. They showed his graphic. I went in the other room and came back to a 4-2 score.

    Also, Steve Stone gave really nice tributes to both Dick Allen and when they announced Ryne Sandberg passing to Ryne. I had forgot some of the years with Allen, but Stone played some with him. Said he was a great guy to those he considered his buddies, and he was fortunate to be one. The play-by-play guy mentioned that Sabermetics came into play in aiding Allen getting into the HOF. I still think it is crazy it took 48 years from retirement to enshrinement. Sad on MLB.

    Phillies really need to go at least 3-3 here before deadline. I am afraid they are going to let the Mets get away from them and then it will be WC season. You mentioned adding the one team. Tigers and Royals are also examples. Mets and Phillies are other examples of that 6th spot and then doing damage in the playoffs. You either have to win 11 or 13 for WS. Phillies got 11 when they needed 13. Should be interesting next couple days.

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26. Just saw this. Couple trade proposals. 2025 MLB trade deadline: One deal ESPN experts would make – ESPN

    Romus. They have Duran to Yankees. Would any be on board with either of these?

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    1. Bednar or Jax may work….. still prefer Duran.

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    2. I took a peak. Feels … disappointing after the “hype”… I guess will see. I’ve felt this team is too many players away despite the fact that Wheeler & Schwarber are peaking. With the players ages/prime… i feel you gotta go for it even with the acknowledgement of the team being 4-5 players short (2 bats, 3 BP arms)… you can ride Wheeler & Sanchez & a shutdown closer to a lot of postseason wins imho. Do it. Thats said, I keep Painter & Crawford. Everyone else in the Minors is on the table. Miller, Abel, Escobar, Cabrera… Tait (ugh). I also make Marsh, Bohm, Luzardo available. When Jose comes back from suspension… he better resign for low dollars… the dude hurt this team this year & the couple years with his steroid crap

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       1. Not sure they are 3 pen arms short. Lazar is showing he can be a part of the pen. Seth Johnson…not so much. If they only get one or two guys, you still have Banks/Lazar/Kerk/Robertson/Strahm. Daniel Robert can ride the bus between AAA and MLB as needed. So if you just get one more guy, this kind of plays, especially considering in the postseason one of the starters can go to the pen too. If they get a dominant closer and a decent other option, thats cool too. Just don’t think they need 3.

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    3. honestly none of these really move the needle. I dont want the Pittsburgh guys, ive been on that hill for months. If Duran is available, as this article says he is, i say outbid the yankees. Kids a beast.

       I also do not care about all of the negative words about Robert. Figure out the financials and get him. Yes i see the RHP/LPH spilts. You can platoon him or you can see if changing scenery helps boost that average vs RHP.

       Hes been great lately, and I feel like he hated chicago and it impacted his play, and now knowing hes auditioning for other clubs, he focused in and put together a great month. Lets also not pretend that hes a scrub; he was the top prospect in baseball and looked like a future MVP. He might not be the most self-motivated guy and likely got tired of losing and baseball became a job to him, just like our jobs are to us. I think hell relish playing on a competitor with some power bats around him in the lineup hell see some hittable pitches. Do it.

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27. Also, very ready to end the Casty era. I know that baseball is now all about stats, but Im also a guy who thinks there is still value in the eye test. Casty hurts this team. Slowest guy ive ever seen, has some of the worst at bats ive ever seen and while he can catch balls hit his way, he has no range.

    Loyalty has been an issue with this team. The inmates run the asylum. They are more worried about hurt feelings than doing the right thing. Time to trim the fat. Casty/Kepler/Romano should not be on the team in 3 days. You can make the cast for Stott too, but I dont think the team will do that. A lineup somewhat resembling Turner, Robert, Schwarber, Harper, Bohm, JT, Kemp/Marsh, Crawford is not terrible and has a lot more balance across the board from what they have now. I like Kemp as a guy who can play 3-4x a week at different positions mostly vs lefties. Of course if Crawford goes in a deal, hed be out, but if he is not traded he needs to be up.

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    1. DD. A point you make on Casty is true. Some of the worst at bats possible. If I was the opposing pitcher I do not think I would ever throw Casty a strike. One reason he swings at 1st pitch is fastball guess on his part. I think one could get him out or simply let him get himself out 8 of 10 times and never throw a strike. Does seem and I have no stats on this but that he is not getting to some balls in the outfield he has in the past. I may be wrong on that but always felt if ball was playable, he got it. That has not happened this season.

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       1. Hes never really been good at getting to balls. Hell make the routine plays, but even when he makes a sliding or running grab that looks good to the naked eye, in reality, a decent MLB right fielder would have gotten to it easily

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    2. I know the stats on Casty aren’t all bad, like RISP. But is there a stat for hitting in the clutch, or when an RBI would be more valuable to the game’s outcome. If there is, I think Casty’s numbers might be lower than the corresponding OPS and RISP.

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28. I want Robert; RH bat that is a rental with a club option for 26 & 27. Defensive upgrade in CF, send Rojas down to LHV & DFA Kepler, move Marsh to LF. IMO Robert has been swinging the bat better & I believe will provide value the final 2 months of the season at the plate. It will not cost a tier 1-2 prospect. I really believe he changes clubhouses in the next 40 hours. Then we get another bullpen arm. Just need a ticket to the dance.

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    1. There according to reports multiple prospect for Roberts. I am not giving up Abel painter Escobar. Tait for him

       I offer Anthony and Mendez

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       1. Too much …… give them a #1 …… Miller, we can pickup a .218 hitter with 13 errors almost anywhere besides we already have one just about identical at Lehigh.

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       2. Agreed that abel/painter/escobar/tait is too much for Robert, but that package is too much for anybody in the league not named Shohei lol.

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    2. Agree 100 percent.

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29. https://x.com/PhilsTailgate/status/1950187689564651972?t=YkeAZe8E4jAB5O-CZLL1aw&s=19

    Bernard price

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    1. Bednar

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    2. Pass

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       1. Why do you say “pass” for Bednar for a top 5 prospect? You don’t think that he is good?

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          1. I think Tait/Escobar would be a far starting point for him in this sellers market. It wouldn’t be a Miller/Crawford conversation without an O’Neil Cruz type coming back & probably another BP piece as well.

             I don’t know that I would move Abel in this deal though, I think his stuff would play up in the pen and he could be a valuable pen piece this and next season with his power fastball and curve.

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             1. I agree. Escobar for Bednar is a very fair deal.

                I like both trades here:
                https://x.com/SleeperPhillies/status/1950199174890188946

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                1. Agreed, I think that would be a solid deadline for the Phillies.

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                2. I dont think CWS gives up Robert for just Escobar though, do you? If so, do that yesterday.

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    3. We need to publicsh a top 10 list of Phillies prospects as a reputable source that the Phillies can use during negotiations. Rincones would be top 5 for sure.

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       1. Hah…nice try, that would be nice but Cherington probably already has his own list of Phillies’ top five.

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30. The lousy thing about losing the last two games is that the Phillies used up their co-aces at the same time. Now they will be scrambling to beat the White Sox, the second worse team in baseball, the next two games to win the series. And you know what that means: It’s Walker time.

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    1. Luzardo today, Jekyll or Hyde is the question?

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       1. Ruff. Problem it is usually both Knowing the inning is the tricky part.

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31. Two of the happiest teams in baseball are the Rangers and Dodgers, who lost our in the free agency bidding for Anthony Rendon to the Angels. A lesser, but similar, happiness awaits teams who pass on Luis Robert. He strikes me, as I watched him nonchalant a Bryce Harper single into a double, that this is a guy who has satisfied his career goals by getting a rich multiyear deal from the ChiSox who have no interest in retaining him. He may not like playing for a loser but doesn’t consistently display the attributes of a difference maker for a contending team. If the Sox were willing to give him away, he’d be gone by now. No tears from me if he lands with the Mets and my only hope is that they pay a decent price if they want him.

    Maybe it was there to be seen after 2023 and I’m only seeing it now. The Phils have needed an infusion f young talent. For Andrew Painter, “July-ish” (Dombrowski’s estimate of when Painter would get a call-up) looks more like “August-ish” or “2026-ish”. Taijuan Walker, to the Phils, offers more hope than Mick Abel. The Phils are afraid to test Justin Crawford in the MLB crucible. To me, this is not the mindset of an organization that is all-in. It seems more like a team being run by tax accountants.

    The wallpaper guys — Merrifield, Kepler, Romano, Hays, Ross — have a prominence because the farm system hasn’t produced. This while the Phils seem prepped to paper over once again some longstanding problems in the outfield and the pen.

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32. Flea – on Roberts I noticed the same nonchalance when he struck out on an outside pitch and sort of said to himself – “whatever,” and ambled away with not a care in the world. Like you, I think he is a sham – injury prone and mercurial but does he really care ? Stearns of the Mets is very shrewd and rarely gets burned – maybe this time even he makes a mistake.

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    1. He also caught a ball hit by JT that our outfielders wouldn’t have come anywhere close to catching. I think you can live with a “mistake” like that and that may have been on the cut off man more than him if he’s making game saving catches like that.

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33. Wonder if the O’s Charlie Morton can work out of the bullpen for two plus months of this season! Has plenty play-off experience and also pitched out of the pen in the Series one time for the Astros.

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    1. I’d rather just throw Abel out there and see what happens if they don’t sell high on him.

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34. What about Marcell Ozuna? Buddy of JT. Put Schwarber back out in LF and let him DH. Maybe can get Iglesias in the same deal.

    Not sure he’d want to play here given the DUI chants in the 2022 post season but might be worth a look if they can’t get Suarez.

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    1. JL26 …… did you happen to see Schwarber’s bottoms up “salute” for those who think he can play the outfield the other day?

       https://www.mlb.com/video/zack-wheeler-in-play-out-s-to-cody-bellinger-phrpmn

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       1. Good outfielders slip. I’m not expecting him to win a gold glove out there. I think he might be slightly better than Castellanos and lifted for a defensive replacement unlike his teammate in RF.

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          1. I do think if they made a move like this (whether it’s Suarez or Ozuna… that big RH slugger) you have to commit to Rojas as your every day CF or acquire Robert.

             I think you pivot to upgrading the offense in a move like that if the Twins don’t back off Painter as the ask for Duran or Jax. No way do you make that move, I’d rather just put Painter in the pen at that point.

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    2. dont want that abuser on the team

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35. According to Feinsand at least 6 teams are in on Hellsley. Phillies are one but it a who’s who of top teams. No info but maybe he has become the top guy to be available. Just my thought.

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36. Dave D, one of a few GMs, becoming an annoyance to the Twins.

    https://x.com/JimBowdenGM/status/1950255216324121012?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1950255216324121012%7Ctwgr%5Eab9563c71adc0fc78b7fc6b6b52a830557060f34%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.phillyvoice.com%2Freport-phillies-among-teams-annoying-twins-trade-calls-mlb-deadline-jhoan-duran-harrison-bader%2F

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37. Let’s not get our expectations up too high. There are way, way more buyers than sellers this year. The sellers are licking their chops because they know they hold commodities that the buyers want.

    If the Phillies are going to get any impact players, they are going to have to “give away the farm”. Half the people on this site want to win it all now and the other half say the Phillies need to look to the future and eventually plug in the home grown kids.

    We, as posters, need to take a step back and really look at this week logically. Of course I want my team to win it all but I also don’t want to see my team gutted for what might be a pipe dream.

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    1. As long as we are getting premium talents (ie not Austin Hayes types), personally, I would sell everyone except Painter. I think we have several good MLB players in our system and I would sell them all for premium guys who can help us win over the next 2-3 years.

       Then just start over.

       All-in Dave. Go all in!

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       1. haha what a nice precise way to say what took me 3 paragraphs to say below. buy i completely agree

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    2. I mean, i disagree. Respectfully of course because im on this site a lot and know you and know you are a very intelligent fan. But do you really want it to be 2030 and have Harper in the twilight of his career, and we have no rings in the whole harper/schwarber/turner era? At some point you have to go for it.

       Theres a famous scene in an episode of Family Guy where Peter gets offered either a boat or a mystery prize. Peter takes the mystery prize and says “a boat is a boat, but the mystery prize could be anything! It could even be a boat!”

       Whether or not you find that funny, that is kind of the case here. We could hope that keeping the farm system in tact maybe makes the team a legitimate competitor down the line, or we can use those players to make them a legitimate competitor! There is unlikely to be another season where we have Schwarber doing this, Harper still kinda in his prime, and Wheeler and Sanchez both pitching like Cy Young contenders. This is the year to do it. Even if guys like Abel and Crawford and Escobar etc do end up panning out, its unlikely that they will be playing on a team that has this much going for it. Flags fly forever, make a splash and get this year and maybe one or two more with this core with a real chance to win it all. Worry about the 2028 team in 2028.

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       1. I am willing to trade off several rebuilding years for a ring. I think they are close. And adding a premium hitter and an elite closer puts them over the top. So yes, I am good with the trade off.

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    3. “Half the people on this site want to win it all now and the other half say the Phillies need to look to the future and eventually plug in the home grown kids.”

       The third half questions whether there is any player on the market or any trade is there to be made that will push the team over the top if high-priced players aren’t earning their salaries. Think of sticking a 550 HP outboard motor on a racing boat with leaks in the hull.

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       1. I was right with you, up until the 3rd half …… actually, I feel strongly both ways lol!

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38. Double D – Peter’s quote is hilarious! If there are a couple of controllable players out there, by all means go out and get them. But, is this team just a couple of players away from a World Series ring? That’s what I’m not really so sure of. If you maybe want a boat and you know you have it in hand, then take the boat.

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39. As far as relievers go: When Robertson is activated, Rangel (if he’s still here) is gone. If/when the Phillies acquire a reliever via a trade, Robert is sent down. When Alvarado returns, Johnson is sent back to LHV. I hope that is enough reinforcements for the pen to be competitive.

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    1. Alvarado can’t pitch in post season.

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40. As of today……this team is 2nd in MLB in active payroll….$237.2M

    https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll

    Team needs a Dallas Green to go into that locker room and tell them, the couple guys you need to win it, are here right now. You are getting paid to do it, so just do it.

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41. Seranthony traded to Blue Jays. Was that one anyone’s bingo card?

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    1. I was hoping for a reunion as he is having a really good season (would easily be one of our top 2-3 relief pitchers) and I was thinking he might be even better coming back for another postseason run with his original organization, in addition to being a free agent this next season. The return the Orioles received seems comparable to us offering Cabrera or McFarlane…. which I would’ve done in a heartbeat. A little disappointed.

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42. Will be a trivia question in 15 years “What former Phil played for one team in game 1 of DH and got traded to the other team and suited up for them in game 2?”

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43. My question is which top 5 prospect list are the Pirates going off of? MLB? The Phillies? Their own assessment?

    I’d offer them Able as a headliner.

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44. jhoan Duran has been traded

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    1. for Justin Crawford and abel????

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       1. sorry if it’s wrong, Twitter is on fire

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          1. https://x.com/KenRosethall/status/1950361474561695940?t=ppD1CgCpxBlkMgAiPYV56Q&s=19

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             1. Pretty sure that’s not Ken Rosenthal’s account.

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                1. yes, you’re right, trolls are all over this, sorry

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       2. Please no. What were sending back that is.

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          1. I cannot for the life of me imagine that the Phillies trade Crawford AND Abel for a very good reliever. That’s just too masssive an overpay. If that does happen it will be one of them plus maybe a prospect in the 6-10 range – or two additional prospects in the 10-20 range.

             There’s no doubt in my mind the Phillies will trade at least one, and perhaps two, of their top 5 prospects before the week is over – I don’t think it will be 3.

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             1. And I still don’t think Painter is going anywhere, nor should he. We forget that this is a guy who is still recovering from TJ surgery and building strength and who, prior to this year, only had one year in the minors several years ago. His season isn’t bad at all and shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone or overly dampen our view of him. He’s still a hell of a prospect.

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                1. My take on Painter is that people need to look at how Strider is pitching with Atlanta as a comparison.

                   His velocity is down a bit; his walk rate is higher while his K-rate is lower. It takes some time for guys to fully recover and return completely to form.

                   TJ has become so common that everyone now assumes guys will just pick up exactly where they were pre-surgery.

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45. Crawford is still playing so he is not likely part of a trade.

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46. that’s what is going to take ….Abel

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47. Doctor Jekyll showed up tonight. Despite some crappy defense (mostly by Harper), Luzardo worked out of trouble. Kemp got charged with the error but Harper has got to make that catch.

    I’ve been harping that MLB use that double base at first. On the ball in the ninth inning that Stott almost handled, I believe Harper catches the throw if the runner was running to the double base. First basemen get a little shy thinking their arm is going to be smashed by the runner.

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    1. Funny that his name is Jesus Luzardo. Sometimes he pitches like hes Jesus. Other times he pitches like hes a Luzar

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       1. Marsh referred to him as ‘Sus’ (Zeus) in the post game.

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          1. Reminds me of the Samuel L. Jackson character in Die Hard with a Vengeance. “Why do you keep calling me Jesus? I look Puerto Rican to you?”
             McClane, “Guy back there called you Jesus”.
             Zeus, “He didn’t say Jesús. He said, “Hey, Zeus!” My name is Zeus”. .

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             1. I remember that scene….that’s funny.

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48. Anthony nice game: 4 AB 1 R 3 H 2 RBI 1 BB 1 HR 1 2B

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    1. Whoever is finding these undrafted free agents for the team should be given a raise. I’m not sure any of our minor league hitters have been as good as Kemp and Anthony this year outside of Crawford. Good job, scouts!!

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       1. Kemp, barrels the ball with authority. If he can cut down on the swing and misses, he can be a true sleeper nugget in the fashion of a Gio Urshela.

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          1. Kemp’s just missed 2 HRs the last two games. I’m noticing he tends to get the ball in the air more when he’s not pulling; last night’s near miss was an exception to that.

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          2. Yep, a true nugget with an .OPS under .700 who is also below average defensively at multiple positions. Keep them coming…

             But hey, he’s better offensively than Kepler and Stott so that’s something.

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             1. 3up….you are coming around on Kemp I see!

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49. Last night, Jhoan Duran, was caught on the Twins TV broadcast hugging teammates in the bullpen during the third inning at Target Field with his glove in his hand. Something is going on.

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    1. Romus that was his husband.

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       1. LOL. If indeed he becomes a Philly….wonder if Phillies LHP Carlos Duran is any relation to him.

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50. I made a mistake yesterday as oldruff pointed out. No mistake today: It’s WALKER TIME!!!

    I’m tellin’ ya. There’s a team out there that is willing to trade for Walker next year and pick up half his salary.

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    1. Haha, best joke of the day

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51. Romus – The big difference between Kemp and Urshela is that the latter is an exceptional defender at third base. I like Kemp a lot. He’s hit a few HRs and has shown warning track power. I believe he could be a solid MLB player but I also think he gets traded tomorrow.

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    1. He can’t play third.

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    2. doubtful but possible.. not sure he’s impressed evaluators to the point of him being a major part of any package

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    3. Another year or two with Bobby Dickinson, and he will turn him into an Alec Bohm at third.

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52. was listening to starkville and seems middleton is going to be sure he goes hard on schwarbs… pay him his money.. nobody else is going to start hitting 40+ HR’s out of the group.. maybe harp has another stellar year or two in the bag but 40+…. eh… only schwarbs has the ability to my eyes on the current team

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53. There is a serious supply shortage of premier relief arms right now and while I think DD will trade for one, the cost will be higher than any of us like. Crawford and Abel both look to me like they’ll either be traded or called up but I’m leaning towards traded.

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54. A hard no on Helsley and his 1.39 whip.

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55. For what its worth category – Bowden has Phillies in the # 1 category of biggest surprises at the deadline : Acquiring both Duran and Roberts….

    Wonder what that cost ? He does not say.

    Seems to me he might be half right ?

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    1. Getting Robert may send a negative message to Marsh, Rojas and Crawford. The BP arm is a different story. And Marsh had a horrific month of April, but since May he has turned it around considerably batting .293…he seems more determined.

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56. Phil Maton is someone I have watched and like as a low cost setup man. On baseball savant, you will see that he has been exceptional this year with 31 percent k percentage and the underlying metrics backup his success. He has been near elite. He is not a closer, but I wonder if he could fill that role this year. Bottom line is that he would be an excellent option for the 7th or 8th inning and the acquisition cost would likely be moderate to low as he is on a one year 2 million dollar contract. Perhaps his cost would not be as low as I think given he is owed very little money and has had a ton of success this year. Also, to add on, his velo on his slider and fastball is up over two miles per hour over last year.

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    1. I think there were a few guys here who advocated signing Phil Maton in the off season to bolster the bullpen. I think they were disappointed when he signed for only $2M elsewhere. He was available until mid-March.

       We didn’t know it at the time, but the Phillies were done adding to the active roster in December when they signed Ross (12/23), Kepler (12/20), and Romano (12/9) and traded for Luzardo (12/22).

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    2. I would try to go big and get Phil Maton, Ryan Helsley, and Brandon Donovan. One of Stott or Bohm would be going back, plus prospects.

       Make it a one-stop shop.

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57. Anybody thinking a Miller for Miller swap could be in the cards?

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    1. i give Miller . Abel and Anthony for Miller I would do

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       1. rocco……..A’s already have their rookie star first baseman….Kurtz. So Anthony may not be what they would want. Maybe an OFer who does not need a 40 designation until after the season……Mendez, Rincones, Nori, or Saliban.

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          1. Yeah i just saw that oakland would want at least a top-25 prospect for Miller. We just so happen to have two. One is “untouchable” and the other could be a piece.

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58. How about we make Painter “touchable” and see if we could build a package for Gunnar Henderson. We probably don’t have enough pieces lol…

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    1. Gunner the guy I want

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59. Assume 6.0 innings is his stint today Painter was: 96/61 7 H 1 R 1 ER 2 BB 4 Ks.

    Pretty good outing.

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    1. actually went 1/3 more. Line the same except 103/65, nice to see he reached 100 pitches.

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       1. amy word on velocity?

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          1. Started at 96-98 with the four-seam, was more 94-96 around the 4th, but was back up to 96-97 for his last batter.

             He didn’t throw a single fastball in the 6th, so he may have just ramped it up for the last guy. But his slider was at 88 in the 6th, which is where it typically sits.

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    2. vs Worcester, Red Sox team, pretty good

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60. painter. 7 hits and two BB I. 6 inn ings. Okay start.

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    1. Painter is the Phillies future van Gogh.

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    2. Apparently the Phillies are in deep on Johan Duran, but Twins want Painter. Gelb reports that Phillies are refusing to even entertain the idea of moving Painter. They shouldn’t move him for Duran. Frontline starting pitching should not be jettisoned for a reliever, even a great one with team control. Relievers don’t extend your contention window, starting pitchers do…

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       1. I can’t blame the Twins for aiming high to start, that’s how it’s done. However, I think Abel plus Crawford or Miller and a 3rd piece of lesser value will be offered. And it might get accepted too if no bigger offers come in.

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          1. Way, way too much for a relief pitcher like that – even one with some years of control. Maybe one top 5 prospect – but two? That would be horrible.

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          2. No offense but I would never trade Abel, Crawford + for a relief pitcher.

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             1. Haha, how about Tait and Abel? Some teams actually value Tait higher than Crawford.

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61. Jayson Stark:

    https://x.com/975TheFanatic/status/1950597549573787925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1950597549573787925%7Ctwgr%5E447bdecb53dd082906edf519d6ec38264d1b3cc0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.phillyvoice.com%2Fphillies-news-analysis-mlb-trade-deadline-rumors-time-date-eugenio-suarez-injury-update-video-cubs-tigers-mariners%2F

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62. Mets trade relief arm Butto…….fans on social media at the game near the bullpen in San Diego, yell down to him about the trade….prior to it becoming official. He looked very dejected as he sat at the end of the bullpen bench with a buddy. Reminds me of Wilmer Flores 10 years ago as a Met then, finding out he was just traded…he started crying when he found out during the game.

    Somehow someway MLB will need to stymie early releases on social media.

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63. Phillies close to getting Duran per Ken Rosenthal. Fingers crossed on what’s going to Minnesota

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64. Duran for Tait and Abel…wow.

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    1. i say ask, romus to okay that deal

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65. Duran for Abel + Tait? A+ trade by Dombrowski.

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    1. Agreed. Great trade. Now bring me Kwan

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       1. Absolutely.

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       2. Can we get Kwan for Marsh, A Miller, Kemp, and S Johnson?

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          1. I like it.

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66. Boo on Tait being included but I get it.

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    1. You have to give talent to get talent. Not only that, Duran isn’t a FA until 2028 so that’s more 2 more years of control. You have to pay for that.

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       1. Three. 2026, 27, and 28. Starts first arbitration this offseason.

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          1. jim.just wondering. What are your thoughts on Tait. So young with power

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             1. I like him, a lot. Thought he would stick at catcher but he’s young and probably 3 years away.

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                1. Now that Tait is gone, ….suppose Ferrebus becomes the next catching prospect up.

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                2. I am not very high on Ferrebus as a prospect generally and as a catching prospect in particular. He’s a lottery ticket at best. It’s like all those years when we patted ourselves on the back for having all of these great catching prospects and none of them panned out (I’m not including O’Hoppe – there was a consensus he would be a major leaguer at least) so, yeah, they will probably need to go another direction.

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          2. according to Spotrac, hes a ufa before the 2028 season. Says they reached an agreement

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67. Great job DD!!!!! If that is in fact the package.

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68. Phillies finalizing trade for Twins flamethrower Jhoan Duran (source)

    Headline from Phillies web page. Story by Matthew Leach (Twins beat writer), source is Mark Feinsand (MLB).

    I’ve heard independently that a deal has been offered and accepted.

    I’ll report the prospects once the deal is finalized and I know they have been notified.

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69. Kudos to the Phillies Development staff and Mick Abel as well for turning his career around and getting him back to the point where he could headline a move like this. I think MIN and that division is a great place for him to develop at the MLB level. Still plenty of chips left to make a big splash offensively or get another arm as well.

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70. All in Dave. All in. Sell the farm. This is our window.

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71. Good trade…….we all knew Mick was going….rather Ed T. than Justin Crawford.

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72. 1. Kwan LF
    2. Turner SS
    3. Schwarber DH
    4. Bryce 1B
    5. Bohm 3B
    6. JTR C
    7. Crawford CF
    8. Castellanos RF
    9. Sosa / Stott 2B

    Playoff Rotation: 1) Wheeler 2) Sanchez 3) Nola 4) Ranger

    Bullpen: Closer Duran

    LH: Strahm, Luzardo, Banks

    RH: Kerkering, Painter, Lazar, Wood, Romano

    This roster could win it all!!!

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    1. Kwan LF
       Turner SS
       Schwarber DH
       Bryce 1B
       Suárez 3B
       JTR C
       Crawford CF
       Castellanos RF
       Sosa / Stott 2B

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       1. I’m hearing a different bat targeted and at what I would consider a reasonable cost assuming I heard all the pieces.

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          1. Laureano?

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          2. Tell us more.

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       2. Nice lineup… how would it look if we swapped Bryson Stott with Luis Arraez?

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          1. I am not a fan of Arraez. He has no power. Doesn’t take walks. Low OB%. Poor defender. No speed. Not a fan. I like Stott.

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          2. Worse. Arraez is an awful defender relegated to 1B. As a hitter he never strikes out and gets his hits, which is nice. But he also never walks and doesn’t hit for power. And he’s not even fast, either (25th percentile sprint speed).

             Consider this: Arraez’s batting average is 61 points higher than Stott’s this year, but his OBP is only 22 points higher. Is it really worth losing gold glove defense (and making our defense significantly worse) for one extra (slow) base runner every 8th game? I say absolutely not.

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73. rocco…..as great as Duran has been out of the pen and with all these saves he now has….never recorded one save in all his years in the minor leagues. Almost like former Yankee great Mariano Rivera.

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74. Rob Thomson is a moron. Just let Lazar keep getting hammered.

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    1. Gotta save the bullpen for tomorrow’s off day.

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75. Evidently someone put a glob of JB Weld on Rob’s seat this evening.

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76. Holy crap RT. This is embarrassing. Just leave him in for 7.

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    1. I don’t understand all the Thompson venom. You are not going to win many games scoring two runs with 4 to 7 hits. The players are inconsistent on offense and if we don’t hit we won’t win. Sometimes it’s better to lose the battle and win the war.

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       1. Oh I have a lot of venom. Haha. Seriously though. I can’t remember a manager that left so many pitchers in to give up so many runs in one season in quite some time. He really seems to fall asleep and be a step behind when it comes to making a decision. But I don’t hate him as a manager, just get annoyed and that probably won’t change with a change of skippers. It’s just me being old.

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          1. Nah Rich, I don’t usually see eye to eye with you but on this 100%. Like Topper but either way he needs to go at the end of the season. No hate. Just he’s running his course. He’s made too many head scratching decisions.

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       2. regardless of the lack of hitting, it was a 2-2 game in the 7th inning and he left a lower leverage reliever in the game to give up 7 straight hits. He’s had multiple instances of leaving pitchers in too long when it’s obvious they are done.

          Add in that tomorrow is an off day and there is no reason to save bullpen arms for tomorrow.

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          1. Lazar has pitched well lately and was deserving of the chance. Unfortunately, Thompson”s decision did not work out but where the heck are our bats against the leagues 2nd worst record and we have a major void after our first five batters.

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             1. Not a knock on Lazar but he clearly didn’t have it tonight. It’s the manager’s job to recognize that and react accordingly.

                Complain about the bats as you wish but teams have to win low scoring games too.

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             2. You realize that your first 4 batters were 2 — 16 and your last 5 were 6 — 19 and scored the runs.

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    2. No shortage of minor league depth…. in the hills bullpen. This team just looks soft, disinterested and accepting of defeat. I don’t like the look of this team. Can’t remember saying that about this batch before. They give confidence to bad opposing bad teams that today seemed to be playing before a capacity crowd for a high school game. The catcalls could easily be heard. Team pride seems to be taking hits.

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77. can we now see Crawford? No more Rojas pls. How do you lose two of three to white Sox? Terrible

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    1. We lost these 2 games because of Rojas???

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    2. Still have one more day of trades to be made. No point wasting an option year on him if we call him up just to send him back down after trading for a CF the next day.

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    3. They need to upgrade but Rojas does his job and has made two plays Marsh & co wouldn’t have had a shot at. I thought he was going to save the day yesterday.

       If Casty wasn’t so sensitive he would be a more valuable piece on the bench.

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78. I’m going to make a crazy prediction that 24 hours from now not only will DD get rid of one of Tijuan or Castellanos, but we’ll only be paying down part of their salary and actually get a low probability lottery ticket in return

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79. Since the trade is official (I know it has been for a little while now, but I was out of the house), I’d just like to wish well to both Abel and Tait.

    If anyone reading this website has any direct connection to them, remind them that this isn’t the Phillies not believing in them, it’s the Twins ALSO believing in them. And even if they’re no longer Phuture Phillies, we’re all still rooting for them.

    Oh, and if someone does have a connection to Mick, specifically, let him know that my dad and I had a blast watching that monster debut live. I’ll remember it in the same vein as so many of those Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Cole Hamels starts of yesteryear.

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    1. Will do and have already texted

       Steve Potter

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       1. Thanks, Steve.

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    2. Considerate and nice post to Eduardo and Mick. We all wish them well with the Twins.

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80. Damn Mariners got Suarez

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    1. Seems a little light on the trade package as well. Their #9 & 16 prospect plus a reliever? Hmmm. Anthony & Cabrera seems like an equivalent except the Mariners likely wanted a better position player at the 9 value.

       Would have been a nice bat, but from every thing I hear the defense is very subpar. Either that’s or Schwarber is back in the OF…. So pick your poision there. Sounds like it’s going to be Roberts, and they call up Crawford.. Unless DD does decide to make Painter available for Mason & Rooker.

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       1. Always seem lighter with two month rentals…Eugenio is FA come Nov.

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81. I still think this team’s biggest problem is the lack of real righty power hitter. In truth, they’ve never replaced what Rhys Hoskins provided.

    On Duran, the Phillies gave up a lot more value than they received – but if Duran is the closer on WS team it will probably be worth it. I love Tait, and he could end up being a star, but he’s several years away and if he can’t stay behind the plate, he becomes very limited. As for Abel, I predicted it was definitely getting traded and I expect him to become a 2/3 for a long time although it may take a couple of years. He’s a very talented prospect. As painful as the prospect loss I’m hopeful they retain Escobar – I think his upside is huge. That said, just a hunch, but in the medium run (and even short run), I don’t see this team holding on to both Escobar and Aidan Miller – one of them is likely to go.

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    1. Tait’s loss hurts but Duran is worth such a cost. As for Abel I’m less bullish. I think he’ll settle into a #4 or at times may flirt with the upside of a #2.

       We still have Painter and I’m more excited in Gage Wood than Abel

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    2. Giving up Tait hurts. Out of the top 6, Tait was right after Painter for not wanting to give up. That said, it was the right move. He is far away. We’ve watched Alfaro & O’Hoppe come through with some huge hype, so add Tait to the list. Duran will be nice to have for the next 3 postseason runs. Its fair. Abel was as good as gone once he righted the ship. Then they got Gage Wood. You could smell the trade bait on him. He just became expendable, due to the strength of the rotation, none of his fault. It’s better for his career that he got traded.

       I agree, Miller or Escobar is gone. My guess is it’s Escobar.

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       1. Tac, at least for the rest of this season, I dont see anyone else in the top 5-7 traded. I don’t see Kwan moving. No one else seems with that value.

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    3. There are no guarantee on Tait….seen too many hot Latin catchers fizzle when they get up to the AAA level….some have bats with no ‘glove,’ and some, vice versa. If interested in getting a catcher….try to get Diego Cartaya…….one hot prospect from the Dodgers farm….who now is being released by several teams and just signed with his latest hoping to recapture that glitter. As much as I liked Tait….he has a ways to go behind the plate.

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82. I’d go get Bader and Laureano. Bring up Crawford. Then send out Kepler, Rojas and Wilson.

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    1. Kinda agree with all this.

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83. Bader – .258/ .339/ .439 w/ 12 HR

    Laureano – .290/ .355/ .529 w/ 15 HR

    This would give you an OF of Laureano in LF, Crawford in CF and old concrete shoes in RF. Against a tough lefty like Skubal on Saturday, you could plug Bader in CF. But on most days you’d have Bader and Marsh coming off the bench or to mix and match accordingly. I also hope that these moves would persuade RT to once again remove Nick in the later innings for defensive purposes. In a perfect world, I’d eat $ and trade Nick today too.

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84. Mick Abel kind of has a “Trevor May” feel career ahead of him. I was fine with letting him walk. And Tait was exciting, but he’s still so far off.

    This was a nice win for the phillies.

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    1. I hear you, but Mick Abel has a much more advanced arsenal than Trevor May did and throws much harder than May in a starting role. Mick Abel has the potential to be a 2/3 for years – there’s a ton of value in that. I fully expect the Twins to “win” this trade in terms of WAR – perhaps by a lot. But this trade will be measured by WS appearances and titles, not WAR – much like the Lidge trade.

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    2. I think thats kinda unfair to Abel. I feel he’s got much more of a ceiling than May had. Though May have a VERY nice successful relief career.

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85. By the way, it’s not really a big deal this year or next (or probably the year after), but did anyone else realize that Tanner Banks is almost 34! I had no idea and was shocked when I learned that. You’ll be happy to know that the Phillies have team control over him through the end of his age 36 season (when he’ll turn 37!).

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86. I guess at least this time around it wasn’t for a rental. But wait there is still time LOL

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    1. Yep…maybe back to the Twins for mutual option two-month rental Bader

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87. Wish they would put Kemp in LF….has plus speed, and above average arm, tracking could be an issue but he can work with that….third base he just needs to put more hours in with the fielding coach and that will not happen this season now. Kemp can platoon with Kepler, unless they decide to release Kepler at some point.

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    1. Otto needs to get it going. He earned the shot based on his AAA performance but that is all that gets you….a chance.

       36 K’s to 6 BBs isn’t sustainable. I didn’t expect a 300+ avg or 1000+ OPS but 250/800 would be nice.

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       1. Need to update. Now 38K’s to 6 bb. 🙂

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88. Twins fans are mad, they felt they got fleeced.

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    1. LOL…now that is a first…Dombrowski doing the fleecing! ….not sure that has happened often.

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    2. the leak of Andrew painter was never going to be the return for a closer. It probably upset their fans even more. Two top 100 prospects is a fair return for a closer.

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    3. LOL – this is a good trade for the Twins. They definitely didn’t get fleeced at all.

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89. I want a bat or two. Really he mention Romano like he will help? I hated to lose Tait. He is young, worst case is he moves from catcher.

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    1. rocco…..still have the remainder of the day. Once they are finished their coffee and other things….the phones will be ringing again, or maybe nowadays, the text lines will be open for business.

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       1. Your right. DD is having coffee at Penrose diner. Just saw him

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90. I am surprised that we didn’t beat the cost that Mariners paid for Suárez. I wonder if him getting hit in the hand spooked DD. But that package seemed much lighter than I expected it would cost to get him.

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    1. In general, prices have not been as crazy as I anticipated.

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    2. Dbacks seem to have a solid rapport with Mariners. They also must have really like Lockear, both him and the one pitcher were MLB ready for the most part.

       Honestly dunno if the Phillies could counter.

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91. Also, just in case anyone is interested in this analysis, Phillies won this trade in terms of projected value:

    https://w.baseballradevalues.com/trades/19682

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92. Nori and Keaton Anthony have been really on a tear the last week or so..

    Nola pitches today for LHV

    Jean Cabrera looked good this past start also..

    I know he is not high on anyone’s radar but Felix Reyes seems to have put it together at Reading this season

    Crawford with a lot of walks and steals this past week

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93. Fair trade. Gotta give to get. It’s going to be an interesting day. I doubt we stand pat. Ideally we get our RH hitting LF. If that happens, what happens with Kepler, Marsh, Rojas? IMO, I think the plan is to bring up Crawford after all this shakes out. Hoping so anyway. And just another point – Stott has got to be on the verge of losing a starting spot. He is just overmatched on fastball. Sosa/Kemp? But then your using Stott off the bench? What to do with the surplus?

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94. Sounds like DD is done with the pitching side of the equation, so I think the Vision for this October is as follows:

    1. Starting pitching goes like this: Game 1 Wheeler, Game 2 Sanchez, ideally Game 3 is Nola to alternate L/R and Nola’s not a guy you would swing into the bullpen in October, and Game 4 is Ranger, who is a guy you can swing into the bullpen as he’s done in the past.
    2. Duran is the 9th inning closer, done deal, don’t overthink this Rob. Maybe from time to time he comes in to get an out or two in the 8th before also pitching the 9th, but hopefully other relievers are throwing well enough that it’s not necessary.
    3. The setup guys are likely Strahm and Kerkering, with the middle/7th inning guys Luzardo and Robertson. The true middle inning guys are Banks and whomever is getting people out from the right side – Romano, Wood, Painter, Lazar, other. I could see a world where a Romano gets hot or Painter becomes a nasty weapon and those guys move into later inning, higher leverage roles.

    For me, if you can get 6-7 innings out of your starters in October, there are enough arms here to get you through the 7th and 8th innings to get to Duran. I could see this pitching staff carrying us to a title, if things go well, but here are the biggest questions that need to be answered in the second half of the season:

    1. Is Aaron Nola healthy and effective to be one of the top 4 starters, preferably top 3?
    2. If he’s not, will Luzardo or Painter step up in the second half to be the guy they need to be the Game 4 starter in October?
    3. How will Luzardo adjust to the bullpen and when do you make that switch to prepare him for that role? There’s a balance between getting to October first vs getting ready to win in October. In a perfect world, Nola comes back and Painter starts dominating AAA and the Aug/Sept rotation is Wheeler, Sanchez, Nola, Ranger, and Painter, with Luzardo getting acclimated to the bullpen.
    4. How will they use Alvarado when he returns? I’d like to see this bullpen get in a groove where Duran is pitching the 9th, Strahm and Kerkering are sharing the 8th mostly, and Robertson and Luzardo/Banks are sharing the 7th, etc to get these guys into defined roles they get comfortable with. So maybe they use Alvarado as a fill-in for these guys so they aren’t pitching 2-3 straight nights too often so Alvarado is the guy who has to be flexible and pitch different innings depending on the circumstances.
    5. Will any of this year’s draft picks accelerate quickly to help in October? Unlikely.
    6. If Painter is not in the rotation, do they make a switch with him to the bullpen for just the remainder of this season?
    7. Will Topper alter his past bullpen usage strategy and allow a guy like Wheeler to go deeper into a game? Will he avoid the habit of overusing 1-2 guys who are getting guys out thus exhausting them by the World Series, ie, Dominguez and Alvarado in ’22?

    Going to be a fun ride on the pitching side, lots of decisions to be made and things to learn the next 2 months.

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95. What would Brendan Donovan cost in return?

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96. Could have sworn last night that I read somewhere that a Robert Jr for Clase and Burkholder was being considered. So much has been happening that maybe I was dreaming.

    If the Phillies do get Robert Jr, I don’t see Crawford coming up this season. I can see Marsh, Robert Jr, Castellanos, Kepler, and Rojas playing the outfield. I don’t think they DFA Kepler.

    Turner, Schwarber, Harper and Castellanos were 2-15 last night. That’s about $95M at the top of the lineup. If Realmuto and Kepler had played, the cash goes over $125M.

    If the Phillies are to go anywhere this season, these guys have to go out and earn what they are being paid. I don’t expect all of them to hit every night but let’s pick it up, boys.

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97. Mason Miller traded to padres

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    1. https://x.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1950935174453068083?t=-sS-J4eS6YnIuQQWD-oGXA&s=19

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98. Heck of a package for Miller. I personally wouldn’t have done it on our side but good for the Padres.

    Offense is going to be tough to come by if you’re down in the NL playoff bracket.

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    1. Which is why having some more contact / average hitters surrounding our big guys is really important. Would love to see a Kwan or Donovan type guy added. Would like to see more guys like that in our lineup and less guys like Castellanos. Much of October will boil down to whether we can alter the approach from past years against the best team’s best pitchers, especially with all of the big arms going to the Mets and Padres, and what the Cubs and Dodgers already have.

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       1. Catching the ball maybe more so than contact IMO. How many runs have Castellanos and Marsh given up in RF and CF by not tracking balls correctly and allowing doubles that eventually score? One hitter isn’t going to change the entire approach of the team.

          I’m still holding out hope that we can strike some type of ship Castellanos out of town and replace him with Ramon Laureano move to sure up the OF defense but not holding my breath. No matter how unrealistic trading Nick at the deadline is.

          Would love to see some type of Crawford, Escobar + package for Kwan by the end of the day. He doesn’t solve the CF defense issue but he fits the Wheeler window perfectly. The ideal leadoff hitter for this team.

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          1. i don’t think anybody values Casty beyond a bag of balls.. who’s going to pick up his salary? we are stuck with the dude till it’s kaput

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    2. Yeah, that’s a Painter-esq prospect. 3rd best in MiLB, that’s an elite guy an they also got 3 others.

       I don’t see much difference in Miller vs. Duran so I think our approach was much better. We got much better value for the prospect package.

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       1. I agree. I think evaluators weigh projection too much sometimes.

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       2. And this is a big reason why the Padres are constantly spinning their wheels – always close to the top but never getting there. Because prospects like this and MacKenzie Gore and James Wood are traded for short term gains. I think I’d go crazy if I were a Padres fan. Not a fan of their method of developing a championship team.

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          1. Preller may take over for Dombrowski and Dipoto……loves to trade, and give up valued assets in doing so…but a Padre tradition from way back,…Trader Jack McKeon was always a big dealer.

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       3. I’ll start by saying I wouldn’t have traded Painter for the Miller package, but Miller does have more value base on more years of control.

          Also have to include the addition of Sears who also has multiple years of control and can pitch innings although he’s a back-end starter. He’s basically Ty Walker at a much cheaper price.

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       4. Miller has a fresher arm really is only diff i see.. he still hits 104 : /

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99. All the phillies chatter today seems to be about Alex Call …. because the Kwan price seems to be going up

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    1. how much would Castro cost from twins? His numbers are close to Kwan

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100. That’s one. Passan reporting Bader to Phillies being finalized

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101. Harrison Bader to the Phillies, Jeff Hassan is reporting

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     1. https://x.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1950965305536114868?t=GDXSv_i3YB5SvnoCbJ-OKw&s=19

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        1. Henry Mendez I know. Who is this other guy ?

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           1. 16 yr old Latin pitcher

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              1. ty

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           2. rocco…I really liked Mendez….he is a hitter. And he is on the cusp …maybe another year or early 2027 and he will get his MLB shot.

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              1. Agreed but being a lefty is he better than Marsh the past few months or Crawford? Is he THAT much better than a possible platoon of Riccones?

                 We need Burkholder and Nori to perform.

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        2. Well he passes the “culture” in the locker room.

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           1. did they stick eddie mush in the bathrooom.. i mean bullpen?

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102. Now just bring in Laureano for depth and then cut the fat off the roster.

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103. Does Kepler get the DFA or does Wilson go down???

     Hopefully both and Crawford comes up, then what when Bohm is back??

     Stott down

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     1. Forgot about WW.. i imagine he’s back down.. dude has peen playing PA turnpike i spy a bunch

        both would be clutch tho.. i’d like to see what crawford can do and if he creates such havoc and can manage a high obp seems to set the table nicely for the meat/potatoes…. been missing a true leadoff hitter for a long time

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104. Would absolutely love to get Donovan just not sure it’s feasible. But he would really help stretch the lineup.

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105. I like the Bader trade, would like to aim a little higher but a major defensive upgrade in CF at a minimum.

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     1. Given where they are in the outfield and the low cost of the acquisition- I’d give this trade a high grade. Very serious upgrade. I really like it. Bader is a big upgrade.

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        1. Time to DFA Kepler. The signing was a good idea at the time, but it just didn’t work out.

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106. I’m guessing the Phillies are done trading. They acquired Duran and Bader, and they still have Painter, Miller, Crawford, Escobar. They also didn’t give up Nori or Cabrera. I think DD showed restraint and got what the Phillies needed.

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     1. One more Guru, one more! Trim the fat.

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        1. Alex Call still makes some sense if Rob isn’t going to use Rojas as Castellanos’ defensive replacement late in games. Guess it depends on how they view Bader. If he’s the every day CF and you’re moving Marsh over to LF and keeping Crawford at AAA then it makes sense to upgrade Marsh’s platoon partner. Kemp’s been ok in that regard.

           Not sure there’s much else out there worth moving the remaining pieces for. I would still go all in and get Kwan if available but not sure that’s on the table.

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           1. I would rather roll with Crawford than pay the heavy price for Kwan.

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              1. I just saw they asked the Padres for Leo De Vries + so my guess is they’re not serious about moving Kwan. Would not move Painter.

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           2. Like RichHebner said, Donovan would be a great final piece. Maybe Bohm or Stott goes back the other way as part of it. But to get one more legit MLB-er, that would be a fulfilling trade deadline.

              We still have 4 everyday players with a sub 1.0 WAR. I know Marsh has been on the rise and you can kind of live with Stott and Bohm, but Donovan would be a nice upgrade.

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              1. For Marsh, his WAR is partially deflated by the fact that he has to keep manning CF. If he were just in the corners, his WAR would likely be close to, or even over, 2 at this point. And Bader solves that problem for us, so I’m happy to see the trade.

                 And while speaking of Marsh, I’d like to point out that he’s dropped his K rate for the year all the way down to 24.4% (career 31.6%). Still fairly high for a guy with low power, but what an awesome development for him. I hope he can keep that rate going into the future.

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                 1. Last three months Marsh is hitting close to .300…he has turned it around at the plate. Like to see an OF next season with Kemp-LF, Crawford-CF and Marsh-RF…a very good defensive OF.

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                 2. Yep, that OF might combine for 10 hr combined.

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                 3. I put my money on 15 HRs.

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107. Bader (as a RH bat) pretty much makes Rojas obsolete, so I can definitely see Rojas getting optioned down.

     With Duran, I can see Rangel or Johnson or Robert getting sent down. Take your pick.

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     1. I would think Johnson gets optioned out for Duran and Robert for Robertson. Rangel probably stays until Nola’s activated unless Painter comes up and they move Walker back to the pen early.

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     2. Move on from Kepler, use Marsh and Bader everyday in LF and CF, respectively and use Rojas as defensive replacement for Castellanos. But really do it this time.

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108. I’d platoon to some extent Bader and Marsh and plug Crawford in CF. Against tough lefties like this Saturday I’d throw Bader in CF.

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     1. Bader pretty much has even splits. And his CF defense plays all the time no matter what for me.

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     2. If you bring up Crawford you send him out there every night regardless of who’s pitching. Maybe come playoffs its a different story but I would never send the message to a prospect that we don’t think you’re ready for that yet.

        Bader isn’t all that good against lefties 40% K Rate so this isn’t really a feel good story for me.

        Laureano would have been the better get but maybe the price was too high on him.

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        1. yeah with the expectations on the team i don’t see them bringing up painter or crawford unless injury forces the hand i’d imagine… just seems like an unfair spot to toss a prospect in a sink or swim pennant race

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        2. DMAR…for Bader’s career it is 34% K rate vs LHP…..does that make it any better of a feeling? LOL

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           1. LOL NOOOO!

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109. Would Stott and Miller get you Donovan?

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     1. I think it would be cute to see the Cubs or Astros involved where we ship Bohm to one of them, we send a prospect or two St. Louis, and Cubs/Astros send prospect to St. Louis for Brendan Donovan.

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        1. Maybe that’s a move where you also get Arenado back and eat the money but absorb less of a prospect hit. Or get one of those teams to bite on Castellanos (still hoping!)

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110. The dream deal to be made by the deadline, and HIGHLY unlikely, would be to find a taker for Castellanos and then turn Miller, Rojas, and others into Kwan, with a starting OF of Kwan in LF, Crawford in CF, and some combo of Marsh/Kemp/Kepler in RF, with a lineup of:

     1. Kwan LF
     2. Turner SS
     3. Schwarber DH
     4. Bryce 1B
     5. Bohm 3B
     6. Realmuto C
     7. Crawford CF
     8. Marsh/Kemp RF
     9. Stott/Sosa 2B

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     1. About 2:40 left for TW and or Casty to disappear Buddy. LOL

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     2. You missed Bader in your lineup.

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        1. Meant to say Marsh/Bader RF…

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111. Mullins to Mets. Hahahahaha

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     1. Do the Mets have any prospects left?

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        1. rocco……hah, a few are left!….but they didn’t give up any of their top tier guys. For Rogers they gave up Tidwell and Gilbert who were ranked no. 10 and no. 12 in the Mets’ system by MLB Pipeline, respectively. Mullins…. Mets gave up no. 14 prospect Anthony Nunez, no. 30 prospect Raimon Gómez and High-A reliever Chandler Marsh…..for Helsley- infielder Jesus Baez, right-handed pitcher Nate Dohm, and right-handed pitcher Frank Elissalt. Baez was the Mets’ no. 8 prospect, while Dohm was ranked no. 14. Elissalt was a 19th-round pick and not ranked in the Mets’ top 30.

           They managed to keep their top prospects…basically 8 thru 14 and further down was their offers.

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           1. today Jersey shore versus Brooklyn . Mets have three pitchers 22 with real good era. We got guys near thirty with 5 plus era in single a

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        2. So the big question is who improved most- Us or the Mets??

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           1. In terms of impact additions, I like our deals better.

              But the Mets did a better job of hedging their bets. If Duran gets hurt or under-performs, we essentially got worse (with the assumption that Abel still could have pitched meaningful innings down the stretch).

              But if Duran pitches to his career average, that alone is a bigger improvement to our team than everything the Mets did because the delta between how bad our BP was and how good he is is absolutely massive.

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112. looks like LHV got weather, Nola pushed back to tomorrow i guess

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113. Laureano going to the Dads

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114. Hot take with 1 hour and 47 minutes left before the deadline…the addition of Bader was so that we could trade Marsh to Cleveland in a package for Kwan.

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     1. Marsh, Miller, Cabrera and Johnson?

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115. Jim: Anything else on the radar or did we fire all our bullets?

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     1. Yes. 😉

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116. According to Phillies Therapy, there are whispers of a three team trade…Phillies > Cleveland > and the Cards.

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     1. If the Cards are involved, that’s one scenario where I could see Bohm heading out of town and we take Arenado so they can shed salary.

        We don’t have the prospect capital to land Kwan at this point (unless we budge on Painter), but maybe if the Cards pitched in…

        Still seems like a longshot, but this deadline has been pretty insane.

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117. Gelb is saying that they are likely finished unless something falls in their lap. Also says that other GMs are saying that they may still acquire a middle reliever.

     Bader changed his offensive profile dramatically…increased his swing speed significantly.

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118. My nephew, a lifelong Twins fan, wrote me this….”Duran has been fun to watch, when he has control; you usually know during the 1st at bat how the rest of the inning will go…..and his entrance when playing at Target Field was electric”

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     1. Twins trade their whole 26 it looks like.

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119. According to Gelb, Guardinas are telling teams that they need at least three of teams top five prospects for Kwan.

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120. I think if this is it, the organization is basically punting on this season and focusing on the next 2-3 years as being the best chance to win, which I totally disagree with. The POBO continues to march forward with the same offensive cast of characters, through last offseason, and now through another trade deadline, where we are going to be relying on a lineup that basically has 3 studs (Trea, Bryce, and Kyle), 3 mediocre bats (JT, Nick, and Bohm), and 3 spots that struggle to contribute (LF, CF, 2B). Come playoff time, good pitchers can either neutralize those top 3 or just mostly avoid them with the other 6 guys not real scary to deal with. So DD is continuing to believe that Stott and Bohm and Marsh and others are going to grow when all the data continues to tell us that whatever the Phils are doing on the hitting side of the equation, it’s not developing talent, either through the minors or young guys that arrive at the big-league level. This October will likely end sooner than later, and once again be ripe with examples of poor contact, poor situational hitting, Topper being overly loyal to guys like Nick, failed bunt attempts, RH hitters swinging and missing at low and away sliders with guys on third and one out, and our starting pitchers going 7 innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 ER, striking out 9 and walking one, and having an L next to their name.

     Barring a last second move, this team is not winning the World Series and they did not put all, or even most, or even many of their chips on the table to do so. The Padres traded away the equivalent of an entire minor league team today to get players to help them win. We traded two good prospects and two guys that are less than that. The root cause here is that what 4-5 years into DD’s tenure and the mess that MK and AM created in the farm system for 6 years has not been rectified in terms of results. Several other teams like NYY, LAD, SDP, and a few others have endless amounts of prospects that other teams want and we just don’t.

     Lastly, I love the Duran trade if you are going to go for it. But this is not going for it, so now I’m kinda disappointed that we gave up Abel and Tait for what? Abel could be a controllable #2 or #3 for the next 6 years, Tait could be a really good starting catcher 3 years down the road, so hopefully if we aren’t going for it this year, we’ll be going for it next year. Maybe.

     Go Birds!

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121. Looks like the Dodgers failed to get Kwan

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122. So when we put out an October lineup this year, it’s going to have at least 3 of the 9 spots occupied by the following group: Rojas, Castellanos, Marsh, Bader, Kepler, W Wilson, Kemp, or Crawford. Line that group up against all other playoff contenders and once again we have by far the worst OF of all the October teams and it isn’t even close.

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     1. They can always put Schwarber in LF….that OF then becomes the best OF in the play-offs….don’t you agree?

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        1. Romus your buddy, Mead got traded

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        2. ….. “bottoms up” if you get my drift!

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123. It’s finally over. The Phillies made a significant trade to bolster the bullpen with a legitimate closer. They followed that up with the acquisition of a right-handed batter who will likely be a bench or platoon piece. Y’all forget the last time the Phillies tried to force a LF into CF? It’s pretty recent.

     I would like to take this opportunity to thank Steve Potter for keeping me as up-to-date on trade rumors as he could.

     Steve actually had the Jhoan Duran trade well before Rosenthal.

     I can say now that the Phillies were in on almost every name out there. They were very in on the best of them. We probably could have had our pick of the top guys if only we made Painter available. Since that wasn’t the case, the Phillies did well to only lose Abel and Tait.

     I like both players. I’ve enjoyed watching both as they came through the Complex. I think Abel will be better off in another environment. Tait is still years away. We don’t really know if he is the next O’Hoppe or the next Grullon.

     The later trade cost OF Hendry Mendez and RHP Geremy Villoria. Mendez fits into their latest pattern of flipping acquisitions in later deals, e.g. Oliver Dunn who incidentally netted Mendez in a trade. Villoria is a 16-year-old from the DSL. It is worth noting that we share our DSL complex with the Twins. So, they certainly knew about Villoria when they made this deal.

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124. Some hot take reactions:

     1st off… I hope the Padres now miss the playoffs. Would be hilarious.

     onto the Phillies:

     The FO seems to be doubling down on the “Pitching wins playoff games”…. How they do this, I think their under the radar moves will be to promote both Painter & Crawford. On top of that, I’d expect the Phillies OF to give other teams nightmares… the defense that is. Late inning sub Rojas, Crawford, & Badger will take away hits.

     The Phillies should have a BP that rivals the SP this year. The FA class is heavy in BP arms the next 2 years. So see you later Romano. Toss out Alvarado, you can grab a nice high leverage BP arm

     As for the offense. Its tough. Not a lot of obvious upgrades for the Phils, as it’s either your current roster or retreads. If this team is going to win, it’s going to be because of the pitching with minimal run support.

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     1. Manning 9 pick in round one. 2016.got dfa. We took him. Anything on him?

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        1. rocco….I really liked him back then…big strong arm. Just never panned out for the Tigers…..maybe he will be the next Jeff Hoffman…big pitcher drafted in the first round that found a living eventually in the relief role.

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        2. Correction – the Phillies BP should be one of the tops in the league next year, after the offseason additions, not this year – Unless Luzardo & Painter thrive in potential roles.

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     2. One thing about AJ Preller…..he and his top scout Logan White can find great talent in the DR every year….they restock their farm as quick as they trade them away.

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125. 2015…..starters in play-offs went 5 innings or more 75% of the time.

     Post 2020…starters in play-offs went 5 innings or more 42% of the times.

     Times are changing…..teams will need 5/6 deep in their pens for play-off runs.

     Shame Alvarado is not eligible…he will help the last 5/6 weeks of the season but after that ….forgetabout it.

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     1. the 2026 version of the Phillies should have that. Plenty of BP arms the next 2 offseasons. As for the offense, seems like the best guys available … are already on the team. Our best hope this year is that Casty & Realmuto Turn it on for the playoffs, and Stott & Crawford “arrive”.

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126. I got to hand it to DD. He was more patient than I would have been. He got good value for both players. Kept our top guys.

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     1. Last comment I’ll add. You’re not giving yourself enough credit. I did not realize, it’s been 8 years since a top 10 propsepct was traded at the deadline. The sellers always ask… but rarely get it. Padres giving up the #3 overall prospect is rare, and you can make the arguement for Miller, who has a ton of control left is one of those rare cases. Painter was safe, but i thought he’d was going to deal Crawford since he hadn’t been called up yet, or Miller who seems to be struggling.

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        1. I did too.

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        2. Trading Niller would have been selling low, this season has not helped his value. He’s young enough that he can still become what we hope, plus Bohm only has 1 more year til FA.

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127. I just have this horrible feeling that they won’t bring up Crawford and Rojas and Kepler will remain on the roster through the playoffs.

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     1. Richie: in canine competitions “it is called being Kennel Blind“! When you think your dogs are top shelf and actually they can’t cut it.

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        1. Haha

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128. Rocco + Romus (otherwise known as the gruesome twosome – kidding, of course) – I wrote a time or two that I saw Suarez and Cole Irvin pitch when they played at Williamsport and came to Connecticut to play a game. The opposing pitcher that night was Matt Manning.

     The Tigers had big dreams about him and he impressed that season and all through the minors. He pitched just 9 games for the short season Tigers before being promoted. His ERA there was under 2. Like Romus wrote: Maybe he turns into Jeff Hoffman. We can only hope so it’s worth a shot.

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     1. ciada…..Manning having TJ in June 2022 set him back, and having the surgery mid summer kind of messes up pitchers for 2 or 2 1/2 years. Dave D may have found a hidden gem.

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129. For all the frustration and anger about the lack of moves, the best team in the NL has only 3 more wins than the Phillies. Anyone of those top 5 teams can get to the World Series. The league has extreme parody at the top.

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     1. trenton you keep trying to sell there okay. Playing five hundred ball gets them 87 wins. Mets don’t have our type starters so they shortened game with good bullpen arms there offense is better. There defense is better than ours. It’s no sure thing they make playoffs. If stott keeps playing and Kemper. With there lack of offense plus Rojas. We are not good enough.

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        1. The odds-makers seem to disagree with you that the Phillies aren’t making the playoffs. They are over 90% to make the playoffs are are 3rd among teams at +850 to win the WS just behind the Mets at +800 according to Bet365.

           Fangraphs has the Phillies odds of winning the WS at 11.3% ahead of the Mets at 8.3%

           Think I’ll go with Trenton and the odds-makers on this one.

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130. This is crazy. This is all in. But wow. Really emptied the farm.

     https://x.com/spotrac/status/1951038374132809895

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     1. on the reverse side, the Twins traded 11 players. Their AAA team just moved to the majors

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     2. They just go down to the DR, sign their selected kids in Jan., and then their farm system is reloaded. Amazes me how they do it.

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131. Dombrowski on the Manning signing:

     “….Matt Manning was a premier pitching prospect, you know, high number one draft choice, had some success at the major-league level, had a good arm, great athlete. And so he had some success, has not performed well over the last year, but we like some things about him. So what we do, he’s basically a gamble. So what we’re going to do is we’re going to acquire him, send him down to Clearwater, we’ll put him in our lab, work with him down there and see if we can help him out at all… It’s one of those that really is a gamble, but we think it’s a good gamble for us to take because if we can help him out, there’s some positive upside and he was a well-touted pitcher that also is very athletic and we’ll see if we can help him out.”

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     1. It’s a great idea – he’s the next Jeff Hoffman if all goes well; the new Mekhi Becton (with more control if he’s good). l like it a lot!

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132. I’m glad that is over. I saw DD say the offense will need to improve from within LOL.

     Could it happen sure! Will it happen…not likely but it will be a good movie to watch the next couple of months.

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133. Somehow I guess I missed that they now don’t see Crawford as a CF and he will probably play LF when he gets to the majors. Did his defense in CF regress or has it always been a challenge. I thought he was a plus defender out there plus he has great speed. Can someone clarify? Thanks!

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     1. It was just one game in Lakewood last season but my take was he doesn’t always get a good read on balls…

        However he is fast enough and athletic enough to get by.

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134. I’m pretty stoked to be going tonight to see Jimmy’s well deserved induction into the Phillies Wall of Fame.

     Also I’m undefeated in games attended so you fellas can back up the truck on this one. And if I’m really lucky I’ll see Duran’s first save as a Phillie 🙂

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     1. Love JRoll, hope he gets a monster standing ovation.

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        1. I’ll do my part…

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           1. And also do not forget to cheer Ed Wade….he orchestrated the acquisition of the personnel for that run and the finale of ’08.

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135. dmar + hags – The thing I read concerning Crawford is that he doesn’t always take a good route to the ball. I guess that would be tracking. I’m sure Dr. Jimmy could enlighten us. He has seen Crawford play a lot.

     Someone enlighten me: If a team offers a QO as the Phillies will obviously do with Suarez, and the player accepts the QO, would the team be allowed to trade that player at any time or must they wait a certain amount of time?

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     1. ciada……has to be after June 15th…prior to that date, player has to give permission for the trade.

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136. Great article from David Murphy of the Inquirer this morning, praising DD for being careful about trading too many prospects and absolutely crushing the Padres for their foolish strategy of trading away all of their good prospects, which is essentially what I said yesterday (but Murphy, the writer, says it much better than I did). His point about losing even a small percentage of these deals being devastating is absolutely, 100 percent correct.

     “Compare that to Preller. The Padres general manager has seemingly reached a point where the trade market is tail wagging his draft strategy. With Thursday’s deadline acquisitions, he has now traded a remarkable 12 of the 15 first-round picks he has made in his 12 years at the helm. A good chunk of those trades have come only a year or two after the player was drafted.

     The problem is, you can win these deals at an incredibly high clip and still end up seriously in the red. If 29 of 30 prospects don’t end up panning out but the one who does is James Wood, you’d need to acquire an elite hitter every offseason for six straight offseasons in order to justify the strategy. Imagine the team the Padres could field today with the players they’ve traded away.”

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     1. Padres and preller, head south of the border into the DR and reload….they have already signed three of the top 40 Latin prospects…numbers 21, 35 and 39….then they also find a few of those hidden gems.

        https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/international

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        1. Did I read this right…is the top prospect that the Phillies signed from that list the 44th ranked player who is (listed at) 5’9″?

           Not a good look.

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        2. Romus – Padres always seem to sign one of the top 5 Int’l players and have done so for years. I don’t know what the connection is – must be the trainer or something – but they invariably end up with one of the very best from the DR – not Venezuela. Then they manage to get a few more in the top 25 too ??? Maybe they are giving away cars to the signees ??

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137. One last thing for now: Have the Phillies made their roster cuts to accommodate Duran and Bader? I’m thinking it’s Wilson and either Rangel or Johnson.

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     1. Not yet, likely closer to game time. My guess by 5pm, it will be done.

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138. It absolutely makes no sense that Crawford was not immediately promoted. Something has to be going on. Get rid of Kepler, Wilson and Rojas.

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     1. exactly!!!

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     2. I believe Aug 15th is the date that anyone one brought up, teams won’t lose a year of control

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        1. If so, that’s some weak crap

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           1. I just checked Matt Winkelman’s Bluesky and I’m wrong on that. Ugh Kepler needs to go. Rojas should be sent to AAA.

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139. https://x.com/PhilsTailgate/status/1951327063564231144?t=IzCTSVLBD59E2WIzYGdpzQ&s=19

     Schwarbs HOF

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     1. I thought he would have already been inducted prior to this year. Other than Reds great Ted Kluszewski he may be the best Hoosier to ever play pro ball….Mickey Morandini was another alumni.

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        1. No sleves Klu!

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           1. Yes…I remember that…huge guns.

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140. https://x.com/MattGelb/status/1951343853174480999?t=_hEnekapZt0HJQQI81q97w&s=19

     Rojas send down, along with Robert

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     1. heard Kepler still starting tonight because of the lefty right BS

        ugh!!!!

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141. Kepler and Romano have to qualify as two of the worst players in baseball this year. But they remain on the roster. Is the object to win or save face?

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     1. In terms of leverage, the 8 relievers probably goes like this:

        Duran, Strahm, Kerkering, Banks, Romano, Lazar, Johnson, Rangel

        At this point, Romano is probably the 7th inning guy.

        The earliest David Robertson can come back is Aug. 5th. Romano is going to be the 6th guy.

        Once Alvarado comes back, Romano will be the 7th guy.

        So Romano won’t be getting that much leverage spots moving forward.

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        1. Hopefully from your mouth to Robs ears.

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     2. Kepler and Castellanos are both bottom 13 in baseball among qualified hitters according to fWAR.

        Going just by offense, Kepler is tied for 7th worst in wRC+, T-10th worst in wOBA, 2nd worst in BA, and 12th worst in overall offensive value added (Fangraphs).

        As for Romano, he has THE WORST ERA among qualified relievers. Although he’s “only” 7th worst when you change the qualifier to any pitcher with 30+ IP.

        I feel a little bad, because there’s some bad luck at play for both. But even the underlying numbers are extremely mediocre. It makes no sense that both are still around, let alone seeing meaningful play time.

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142. Topper has announced for the next 6 games he will be platooning kemp and Kepler in LF, and marsh and Bader in CF

     ugh, everything doesn’t have to be about lefty right BS

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     1. But wouldn’t you miss having Kepler’s .205/.306/.366 line against righties in the lineup???

        DD really needs to cut him to stop Rob from shooting himself in the foot for the rest of the season.

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        1. LOL – my brother the Mets fan is giving me grief about the Phillies getting Bader and I’m trying to explain to him that, really, truly, it’s an upgrade. And it is!

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143. Besides Painter, who else has to be added to the 40 man roster this off-season? Riccones? McFarlane?

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144. Closing this article to comments. New discussion at Phillies Discussion 8/1/2025 | Phuture Phillies

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