Phillies Discussion (8/3/2026)

Other Stuff

Here’s a new Phillies Discussion. 

It’s early Monday morning.  The Phillies, in spite of their many needs, have not made a single trade to improve the bullpen, improve their lineup, or upgrade the back of their rotation.

Of course, they are meeting and planning to make trades.  They have their targets.  Unfortunately, sometimes their targets are coveted by other teams.  And they’ll have to determine how to approach a bidding war.  Have to make sure they aren’t bidding against themselves.  And sometimes their targets’ teams are trying to extract every bit of value out of the Phillies.  Don’t want to overpay.  These negotiations can become a game of chicken.

Anyway, whether the Phillies make one, two, more, or no trades Monday, I expect we will have a lot to say.  So here’s a new discussion with an empty comments section.

Important Dates

  • July 27, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET: Deadline to sign 2026 draft picks
    • Deadline applies to players drafted out of 4-year colleges and HS
  • August 3, 2026: MLB trade deadline at 6:00 P.M. ET
  • August 7-8, 2026: Date players who signed on July 23-24 have to placed on a roster (15 days after signing for both draftees and UDFAs)
  • August 13, 2026: Field of Dreams Game, Thursday game from Phillies at Twins series
  • December 1, 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET): MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement expires.

Note: These dates will be used unless/until notified differently.  (Note that there are many more dates to add from Spring Training through the end of the 2026 season and calendar year.  I will add when I have accurate dates for them.)

Transactions

August 2026
08/01/2026 – Phillies sent RF Steward Berroa outright to Lehigh Valley
08/01/2026 – Lehigh Valley activated RHP Mitch Neunborn from the 7-day IL
08/01/2026 – Lehigh Valley transferred C Lou Albrecht to the Development List
08/01/2026 – Reading activated RHP Saul Teran from the Development List

July 2026
07/31/2026 – Phillies optioned RHP Brian Keller to Lehigh Valley
07/31/2026 – Phillies recalled RHP Andrew Painter from Lehigh Valley
07/31/2026 – Lehigh Valley activated RHP Brian Keller
07/31/2026 – C Luis Caicuto assigned to Reading from Jersey Shore
07/31/2026 – C Scott Mudler assigned to Jersey Shore from FCL Phillies
07/31/2026 – DSL Phillies transferred OF Jose Briceno from the 7-day to the 60-day IL
07/30/2026 – Jersey Shore transferred OF Joel Dragoo to the Development List
07/30/2026 – Jersey Shore activated OF John Spikerman from the 7-day IL
07/30/2026 – C Macon Winslow assigned to Clearwater from FCL Phillies
07/30/2026 – OF Caden Bogenpohl assigned to Clearwater from FCL Phillies
07/30/2026 – RHP Orlando Gonzalez assigned to Clearwater from FCL Phillies
07/30/2026 – OF Will Gasparino assigned to Clearwater from FCL Phillies

401 thoughts on “Phillies Discussion (8/3/2026)”

  3. The White Sox have something cooking albeit at a cost of many years of atrocious baseball LOL

    But they can spend a little when it calls for it. They’ve kind of been my defacto AL team to root for since 2014.

    They could be the Jays of last season. They drafted pretty good and they got a really good catcher out of the Crochet deal in Kyle Teal. They also just traded a really good catching prospect in Boston Smith to get Castillo.

    Hopefully that one doesn’t haunt them because that kid should have been worth more.

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    1. WSox and their friend have paid their dues…it is time for them to make their mark in the AL-Central….good rivalry brewing once again in Chicago between them and the Cubs.

      They traded two very goos LHPs in Sale and Crochet…..and not sure they got back the results they wanted from the prospects they recd from the Red Sox in both trades.

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  4. If it were not for the Mets the Phillies would be the biggest disappointment.Highest Payrolls in 2026:Dodgers: ~$406M – $420M……… Mets: ~$363M – $369M………Yankees: ~$310M – $333M………Phillies: ~$311M – $312M

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  5. This topic has been posted many of times on here BUT lots of Mike Trout buzz in the back channels by secondary sources. We know the lock out is real, so maybe this time it makes sense. Plus to let recruit Lebron, he said whenever he wants to golf at his new course he just opened, let him know…..maybe?

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  6. On the prior thread, I think it was Rocco who asked me what I liked about Crawford. So here goes:

    1. He is still young at 22 and physically looks like he has not gotten his man strength, yet. So I still see a lot of room for physical projection. Like his father, he will add more weight and strength as he matures and I think that he will look very different at 27 (his 6th season) than he does now. He seems to have a great work ethic.

    2. He has a combination of tools that are already very productive – elite speed combined with great contact rates. His swinging strike rate of 8.1% is top 40 in baseball. Up there with Turang and Contreras. His elite speed helps him beat out plays. He has a .322 BABIP and I think that he is going to be one of those players who is always above average on that stat. That combo has him with the second highest batting average on the Phillies.

    My only consistent knock in him is that he doesn’t attempt enough stolen bases but that may not be his decision.

    3. He hits the ball hard. Not elite EVs. But certainly EVs hard enough to be productive. His average EV is in good company – Paredes, Rocchio, Rafaela, Arraez, Xavier Edwards, Albies – are all seen as good hitters with the same average EV and EV90.

    4. He makes adjustments. He has a rough May. Was benched a little. Changed his swing with KLong. Since mid June, his line is .294/.322/.346/.668 OPS. His batting average is 34th in all MLB since June 1st. Obviously the slug isn’t there but as noted above, I still see projection. Keep in mind, Crawford didn’t get the benefit of a cup of coffee last September. Most top prospects get the benefit of facing MLB pitching for a month ahead of their first offseason.

    5. I am long term bullish on his defense. I have seen it improve. He has made some head scratching plays on CF but also some great plays.

    6. He still has room to improve on his line drive rate and his walk rate.

    Net, net, I think the view on Crawford depends on whether you think that he is a finished product and is who he is or if you see room for physical development and thus slug. At his current slug, he is an ok MLB starter. Would be better if he stole more bases. Not a difference maker but not hurting a team. And he is on a rookie contract. If you think that he will add masa like his father, then he could definitely become an impact player

    Liked by 3 people

      1. I’m not down at all on Crawford, but, due to his contact-oriented swing path and swing approach, I think his power potential is limited. The guy he should model his game on and whose skill set his most resembles is Kenny Lofton. That’s his ceiling.

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    2. Crawford has been largely what I expected of him. And on a good offensive team, he’s the perfect #9 hitter. But with a struggling offense you’re asking everyone to do a little more, which probably isn’t fair. If they put Crawford in a deal for a Daulton Varsho type, I’d lose my mind.

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      1. Yea, I like Crawford. He wouldn’t be off limits for me but it’d be a someone who’s controllable in future years.

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    3. Crawford is a work in progress. I think he will add weight in the future and you’re right, he’ll be much different at age 27. His defense SHOULD get better but I think he will limited by his arm strength. It’s average to below-average and you can see runners always looking to take the extra base on him.

      Corbin Carroll was negative dWar when he played a lot of games in CF. He’s now positive when he got moved exclusively to RF. And Carroll has a rag arm. I think if a better defender comes up, Crawford will be moved to a corner spot. Yes, I I know it’s not ideal.

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  7. To get my mind off of the deadline until something actually happens:

    Anyone getting a Field of Dreams Jersey?

    I think they’re awesome. Obviously not splurging for a name on the back. Those prices are crazy. But definitely got one.

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  8. Add a bp piece, give the OF ABs to the mix on the roster and see what happens. I am not trading a single viable asset/prospect right now. I am not wasting assets on a lost cause.

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    1. For a rental? This trade is going to haunt the Phillies. Absolutely brutal.

      For all those people who wanted the Phillies to “go for it”, this is what you’re going to get.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. First, you have to give talent to get talent. Second, as much as we like to think that we know about our prospects, the scouts on other teams know it too. So if we see the warts on our guys, they see it too.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. A big day for DD. I’m looking for a mover or a shaker…. Something along the lines of a A-Rod from SEA… or Marte from the DBACKS . The issue is, specifically for the Diamondbacks, is that the Phils let them creep back into the WC race.

    Will see, but this team needs 3 trades… possible 2 if you are going to argue Painter is the SR upgrade 🙂 They either need 2 bats & a top 8th inning RP, or 2 RP and 1 bat. They just do. Will see what happens, but yeah…. it’s a big day.

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    1. What? For a 38 year old reliever rental?

      DD is getting fleeced. The other teams in the NL East are laughing at us.

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  15. DD needs to be fired. When Arraez comes in, who’s the odd man out in the infield?

    Unless the Phillies win the WS, this trade will go down badly.

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  17. Arraez is the guy I wanted. He’s a different type of hitter than anyone in their lineup. I also expected Marquez to be the headliner in a deal. Now we’ll see whether Turner goes to the OF or Stott or Bohm gets traded. I’m assuming Turner is going to the OF and Stott to SS.

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  19. Todd Zolecki says Harper is expected to move to the OF to fit Arraez. I think that makes the lineup stronger if you can keep Bohm (who is also RH and has the propensity to hit for a high AVG, at least with RISP), but I worry about Harper in RF for a number of reasons…

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  20. Wow … Marquez & Gair in the same deal? I feel like we got fleeced.

    Still need an OF… might as well keep emptying the cupboard.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. I’m not going to doubt Zolecki but the team could play Arraez at 2B versus LH and Bohm at 3B. Then Arraez would play 3B when a RH pitches with Stott at 2B. They would basically be platooning Stott and Bohm.

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  24. Rocco – I may be wrong but I think Raley has an option year for a low price and Killian is not even at arbitration. Only Arraez is a rental.

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  25. As of 10:17

    Brooks Raley – great deal. Spikerman is what, our 6th or 7th best OF prospect? And that may be generous. Garbyish is not someone that hurts. Maybe Raley comes back on a cheaper deal – he’s 38.

    Arraez/Killian

    Killian has 2 more years of arb. I can’t pretend to know anything about Killian.
    Arraez – Love Arraez. I think he was playing 1b last year and it was unkown if he could still play 2b. I think that’s why the Phillies weren’t more interested. He’s only 29. I’d resign him.

    The cost. Gaer and Marquez certainly hurt. However, if they resign Arreaz, then it looks different. Gaer has potential but I’m not willing to not move hard throwers with control problems. They have drafted a bunch of relievers in the past year or two. We’ll see. Marquez hurts but if you still believe in Painter and believe in Wood, then there isn’t a huge need. SP is a position of strength (though not depth).

    Liked by 1 person

  27. I hate this trade. I am very high on Ramon. I almost feel like this package could have gotten tarik, with some additional filler. I realize we were limited on the prospect front, but this is asset malpractice.

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    1. absoutely does not get Skubal. I like marquez but he’s not even in the top 100. neither is Gair. Hope is top 25 and Ryan is MLB ready.

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      1. ok, maybe I went to hyperbolic about the skubal comment, but Marquez definitely made some top 100 modseason lists and has put up better numbers than wood did at the same level two yrs older and his numbers very favorably compare to painter and hamels and similar level and age.

        I just hate we gave up on him for a rental.

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        1. Marquez should have been a non starter in any trade talk, and if he was it would have needed to be for another young player at a position of need here for years to come!

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    2. Marquez isn’t a top 100 prospect in the industry. If they could have gotten Skubal for this package we would have gotten him.

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  28. At this point they might as well grab Arozarena and put him in RF, keep Harper at 1B, and move Bohm to bench or wherever.

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  31. I think we’ve been a little spoiled that the prospects we’ve traded away haven’t materialized. At some point, a prospect we trade will be good.

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  33. Every trade deadline for as long as I can remember, I have posted here support of trading prospects for proven vets to help us win. This year is different.

    I think this Arraez trade is an unmitigated disaster. I hate every part of it. Where do I begin?

    1. It is a huge cost for a rental.
    2. There is no position fit. The dominos that have to fall defensively are an absolute mess. I am reading rumors of the following: Harper to RF, Arraez to 2B. Stott to 3B and Bohm to 1B. If that is the case, then our defense, which is already one of the worst in MLB, just got worse at 4 positions. Also our corner IF is the worst offensive corner IF in baseball by a wide margin. Neither Stott nor Bohm hit anywhere close enough to be corner IF.
    3. The lack of foresight to sign him this offseason for $12 mil is embarrassing at best. At worst, is shows a deeply flawed approach to roster planning and skill assessment.
    4. The prospect cost is immense. Marquez is easily a top 100 prospect that is trending up big time. His changeup is a truly elite pitch. I have seen multiple evaluators say that it is the best changeup in the minors. I believe that Marquez is going to be a long time productive MLB pitcher, with a career path similar to Ranger. To give that up for a rental that doesn’t hit for power or play good defense is terribly lopsided. Gair is a wild card. He has a 75/80 grade fastball but poor command. He is a lottery pick. Ok trading him. But giving up Marquez too is a disaster.
    5. This wreaks of panic. I don’t think that we got materially better and we gave up a huge cost. To suggest this somehow gets us past the Dodgers or the Brewers is silly. Maybe DD has more moves coming. But he used one of his 4 top chips already.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. V1,

      I hear you but Marquez is still only in A ball and his fastball may never be good enough where that change up becomes effective.

      I’ll root for him to make it to the show and also didn’t wanna lose him. I feel Marquez or Wood is an overpay here.

      on the flip side I think k areaez is exactly what they need. A guy who hits. Now get me a guy who gets on base and the offense is a healthy Schwar-back to being powerful.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I agree wholeheartedly. I hate this trade. Marquez has better numbers than wood did at A, even as wood was 2 yrs older and a college 1st rounder. Ramon profile is exactly what u want. He has an elite out pitch (change up) and solid fastball with solid growth potential. He compares very favorably to Painter and Hamels at similar age and level and they were probably our two best pitching prospects of the last two decades. Look at what Sanchez has done w change up, granted he and hamels were left handed. I hope im wrong, which is honestly more often than not, but still dont like it

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    4. Marquez is not a top 100 talent yet. I guess John Middleton does not share your viewpoint of having good Minor League teams and a questionable Major League Team. This trade gives us more of a chance to beat the Brewers (possible pitching issues) and of course the Dodgers (who have had injury questions in their pitching).

      This trade could hurt but we are a better team and it is still up to Bryce and friends to perform well. DD has given them the help he wanted.

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    5. Was a damned if you do damned if you don’t deadline.. Dombo does nothing and then you have all the faithful in arms.. do and people complain.. no season next year anyways so what’s he care about 2028 really, dudes an old man and getting older.. they try to win “now”.. teams toast in 28

      Liked by 1 person

    6. I pretty much agree with you. I’ve been thinking what would need to happen to change my mind. Is getting to the World Series enough or do they need to win it. Have you wrestled with that and, if so, where do you end up.

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      1. To be clear, I am 100% rooting for a championship. And I think adding Arraez will help lengthen the lineup. But go answer your question, we need to show a deep run to prove it was worth trading two good assets. They were clearly a playoff team before the trade. Right now they are set to play Atlanta in wild card. Losing to Atlanta would be terrible. If they advance they face Dodgers or Brewers. Losing to them would also make it a wasted asset imo.

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  38. And Sixto Sánchez was special as well. Comparisons to Pedro Martinez.

    While I agree that Realmuto is a much different situation than Arraez, this is where we are at.

    I’m waiting to see how the whole deadline plays out before I make any bold claims.

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    1. JT just finished his age 27 season. Was under contract for 2 full seasons, was widely considered the best catcher in baseball. Was an all star and a silver slugger the year before we traded for him.

      Arraez is none of those things. He is a rental. He is a terrible defensive player that doesn’t fit a position of need causing us to make 3 other defensive changes that weaken our defense even further. He doesn’t hit for power or take walks. He is a fine role player, which is why his market was a 1 year $12 mil. contract this past offseason.

      Comparing this trade to the Sixto for JT trade makes no sense.

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      1. I get your reaction to the trade – I do – but Arreaz has really been quite good this year – he’s played to around a 3.5 WAR – essentially all-star level play – and his defense has also been good. I would have rather they traded Wood than Marquez, but I’m pretty sure the Giants insisted on Marquez.

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  39. Phillies need three spots on the active list to accommodate the (so far) 3 new faces. I see Backus, Johnson and Rincones sliding down. Who do they drop from the 40?

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    1. Not even a little bit. If we wanted to sign him, we could sign him. We passed on him this past year despite his contract being 1 yr. and $12 mil. If we want to sign him this offseason, adding him at the cost of a top 100 pitching prospect is still a terrible deal.

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      1. It just makes it look different. They could have signed him but they didn’t. That’s water under the bridge. Let’s say 5 for 100 million moving foward. Just a very random number.

        Marquez + Gair for 5+ years of Arraez and Killian. That deal looks different for me.

        And you can’t just say “they could’ve signed him”. It doesn’t work that way. The money could’ve been better in San Francisco. He might’ve wanted to play in San Francisco.

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        1. and they didn’t have an opening in the offseason. Arraez hadn’t played second base well previously. He was a 1b. He has now shown that he can play 2b again. And he wasn’t a good 1b. If you aren’t sure he can play second, you’re bringing in a 1b/DH on a team with Schwarber and Harper?

          Liked by 1 person

        2. You are comparing apples to oranges. What FA decision we make this upcoming offseason has no bearing on what we traded for this current deadline. independent events.

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          1. you said the lack of foresight to not sign him this offseason is a bad. Thats your argument. I understand why they didnt.

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            1. Its terrible asset management to trade a top 5 guy from the farm for a guy you coulda signed in the offseason for 1/12. The end result is the same, a shift in positions to accommodate him, except instead of planning for it in offseason, its being done during the home stretch.

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            2. No I didn’t say that. If you are going to quote me, then use my actual quote.

              I said, “The lack of foresight to sign him this offseason for $12 mil is embarrassing at best. At worst, is shows a deeply flawed approach to roster planning and skill assessment.”

              The point is that the #1 job of a General Manager is asset management / roster construction. Arraez is a veteran. Nothing in his profile changed in this half a season. Harper was long ruled out as a right fielder. Stott is a light hitting 2B. Moving him to 3B hurts our offensive profile. Bohm is a weak offensive corner IF. Not addressing that over the past several years has been a mistake. Now, we are panicking mid-season and overpaying for a 2B that doesn’t fit our roster causing us to play 3 other players out of position.

              My argument is that this is poor roster construction.

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            3. I just disagree with where you thought they were this past summer and where Arraez is now. Arraez has shown he can still be average at 2b. That was a major question mark in the summer. They thought they had their ready made 3b replacement in Miller. Those things both have changed from then until now.

              I don’t think the long term plan should be Stott at 3rd. Come this offseason, Bohm won’t be a first. I doubtTurner will be at SS. I’m not going to torch a plan because it had to get creative.

              What players are we playing out of position? Stott I guess. But Harper and Bohm weren’t good at their previous positions. We’ve been playing with bad RF’s other than Garcia for the past 3 or 4 years.

              All that said, it’s not ideal but I would say it’s creatively trying to solve a problem by bringing the best offensive player available into the fold.

              Let me just back up – I feel like I’m arguing myself into a positon I odn’t believe in – I think the roster is poorly constructed – just not to the same extent. You lose flexibility when you have two high priced players locked into 1b/3b. With that as the reality, I think this is a relatively creative move. Offensively, huge upgrade (essentially 4 time batting champ Arrez over Rincones). Defensively, it’s a mess. Instead of smelling like cow poop it smells like pig poop. But it definitely already smelled like shit.

              I tend to agree with you alot so I don’t want to find a hill (of poop) to die on

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            4. Let me be clear:

              • I like Arraez as a hitter. I have no problem trading for him as a hitter.
              • My issue is that he doesn’t fit our roster construction. Moving 3 players to new defensive positions mid-season is terrible roster management. I think that it is just dumb.
              • Stott is the best defensive player that we have and we just moved him to a position that he never played before. I think that is dumb too.
              • I think trading a high quality pitching prospect for a rental is dumb. I don’t have a problem trading Marquez. If it was for Zack Neto then I am fine with it because Neto would be a long term piece. If we traded Marquez for Adley or Goodman then I am fine with it. But trading for a rental at a position that doesn’t fit our roster is dumb to me. I don’t like how we used our biggest chip.

              Overall, I just think this reflects a poor approach to roster building. Dave clearly believes that defense doesn’t matter. He acts like it is fantasy baseball, where hitting stats are all that matter. Phillies currently have the worst Defensive Runs Saved stat in all MLB at -46 runs. The top 5 in DRS are: Cubs +76, Tampa +61, Dodgers +55, Boston +53 and Atlanta + 42. Think that it is a meaningless stat? We have the worst defense in baseball and we just made it worse. Then we wonder why we lose in the playoffs to teams that we are supposed to be better than.

              We have no organizational depth. Partly because we don’t draft and develop well, but also partly because of moves like this. It’s just frustrating.

              I am a Phillies fan and of course I will be rooting full throat for their success. But unless something material changes over the next 1.5 hours, this was another wasted season imo.

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      2. also, they didnt sign arraez bc they werent going to block prospects w Bichette being the exception. Its reasonable to believe they were willing to roll w bohm bc they believed if he struggled, Miller would be ready. If Miller was healthy I think he’d be our 3b right now

        Liked by 1 person

  42. A lot of Robby Ray to Phillies chatter. He would make sense for this roster. Come playoff time I would move Nola to long relief if Painter holds his own.

    lineup – Arraez’s bat alone gives them an actual hitter. Would have preferred some righty thump with Buxton but whatever.

    bullpen is always a crap shoot with the emphasis on crap.

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  43. I like the Arraez trade. While I have great respect for and value v1’s opinions, I believe that having Arraez at the top of this team’s lineup will have a significant, positive impact. Indeed, I am much more concerned about the present effect of the trade than its long-term effect on the franchise. These Phillies are not getting any younger, so they need to focus primarily on the present, which is reflected in the trade.

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    1. Until Mattingly bats him 4th or 5th because our privileged stars refuse to bat anywhere else outside the top 3 spots. October for this team will only last 2-3 games, but the right batting order for this team is Arraez, Turner, Harper, Schwarber, De La Cruz, Stott, Realmuto, Marsh/Hill, Bohm.

      Liked by 1 person

  44. While I do think they overpaid for Arraez/Kilian, in the scheme of things, it could have been a lot worse, but more importantly, he really does improve their hitting and improve it in a way that was needed. This team has been too much feast or famine at the plate – acquiring a player who will help them more with run production consistency is welcomed. Also, I’ve always felt that adding another starter is not what they needed most to go far in the postseason. So they addressed the thing they needed most in my view – hitting – while also adding to a leaky relief corps without sacrificing the whole farm. I can live with this, even though I expect Marquez to essentially become as good as Carlos Carrasco – oh well . . .

    Liked by 1 person

    1. But maybe I spoke to soon. It seems the Phillies are hunting for another starter and are looking at Robbie Ray. That’s a good acquisition if it doesn’t cost another Marquez-level prospect. It wouldn’t shock me if they gave up Aiden Miller to get Ray. It would be a dumb trade, but it wouldn’t shock me at all.

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  45. Adell and Ward both of the market…..what are we doing here for a RH OF bat.

    They can’t be done on offense. They just can’t.

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  47. Nolan Hoffman, Payton Henry & Lou Trivino III have been designated for assignment to make room for the newly acquired players.

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  48. We have the gift of hindsight. The “oh, they could’ve just signed Arraez in the offseason” is littered with hindsight. They went into this season with Bryce at 1b, Stott at 2b, Turner at SS and Bohm at 3b. Everyone knows they would’ve upgraded Bohm if possible. They didn’t want to block prospects. Aiden Miller was sitting in AAA and I think, if healthy, he would be our current 3b. They were willing to get creative for a Bo Bichette but didn’t value (and no one did) Arraez that same way.

    If they knew Miller was hurt, maybe they approach is differently. Marquez is a lot to give up for Arraez. But you can’t factor the “they just should’ve signed him during the offseason” into it. If they sign Arraez to a reasonable contract moving forward, the deal looks different. The trade gives them the inside track if they want to resign Arraez. and the reliever has a ton of control left – that’s about all I know on him.

    Marquez is at a position of strength (though not depth) in the organization. He wasn’t going to be in Philly for a few years. In addition, I believe reports say his fastball shape isn’t great. Again, I didn’t want to trade him and could have been convinced that Wood is who they should have moved but I don’t hate this trade.

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    1. Its not really hindsight, though. Whether they signed him in offseason or traded for him now, the defensive alignment required shuffling. Now you’re doing it on the fly and it cost you prospects.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. In the offseason, it didn’t seem neccesary because they thought Miller would be ready. I think that’s an important piece.

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    2. If you’re curious about the reliever, the short of it is that Caleb Kilian looks like an excellent buy-low guy (although I’m not sure we can say we really bought low…).

      He was nothing special with the Cubs, but after a year away from the majors he came back with increased velocity and much-improved strikeout ability. His ERA is middling for the year, but the metrics suggest he’s better than it seems. And if the pitching staff sees something they think they can improve, he could end up being a very reliable bridge to Duran.

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    3. You are missing the point. The point is that the job of the GM is roster construction. There is a reason we didn’t sign Arraez this offseason, and that reason is because he doesn’t fit our roster.

      • Harper is not a RF anymore
      • Stott is not a 3B
      • Bohm is not a 1B

      That is the reason we didn’t sign Arraez this past offseason. That’s not hindsight Forrest. That reality still makes sense today. Trading a top pitching prospect while ignoring this reality is what is dumb and bad roster management. Stupid is, as stupid does.

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      1. and he wasn’t neccesary because the assumption was Aiden Miller could fill in for Bohm at 3b. And Arraez had been moved off 2b. It looked, in this past offseason, like Arrez was a 1b/dh. and that Miller was the heir apparent.

        If they knew Miller was hurt and Arraez could play second, they might’ve signed him. I dunno.

        As far as current positional fit, what else are they supposed to do? Unless your position is no buying at all. Which is fine. I think Arrez is probably the most impactful bat at that price. If they resign Arraez, then it changes the long term impact as well.

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        1. Just in general, the fact that the team was counting on Painter, Crawford, and possibly Miller to be big parts of a team that wants a championship is probably a huge mistake. Sure there is a perfect world where Crawford is solid (he kind of has been), Painter lives up to his hype and Miller shows hes ready by June, and it all works out, but they had to know the odds of that outcome were extremely low.

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    4. They tried hard to replace either Stott at 2nd or Bohm at 3rd with Bichette. After they lost out on Bichette, Arraez was still on the market. He signed 3 weeks later. Now they think Arraez is an upgrade over Stott, whom they are moving to 3rd base mid season. It isn’t hindsight. The roster management doesn’t make sense. That’s the point.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. They were willing to do that for Bo Bichette. Not for Arraez. It’s not Arraez over Stott. Stott just has more versatility. And again, Miller was waiting in the wings. That is far less certain now than it was then. They were willing to move people around for Bichette but not for Arraez. I’m not sure why this is a hard concept. We also now know Bichette isn’t that good. I’m glad they didn’t.

        On their infield at this moment, they have 2 above average or average defenders in Stott and Arraez. They have two bad ones. Before the trade, they had 3 bad defenders. In the OF, they now have 2 bad defenders – depending on your view of Crawford. Before the trade, they also had 2 bad defenders. So this trade makes them slightly better defensively. Still all around bad. but slightly better

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  49. The Mariners are getting Taylor Ward and I’m really scratching my head. For one because the Mariners are buying. I get the AL is weak, but their team is… not good. But also, they package they gave up for Ward to my eye is basically nothing. I really wish we had beat that offer.

    As for the Arraez trade, I love his bat, I don’t like his fit defensively. I’ll change my mind if we dump Bohm, but I have no desire to see Stott at 3B or Harper anywhere on the field besides 1B. Stott at SS and Trea in the OF would also be fine, I guess. But it just makes the most sense to dump Bohm and play Arraez at third instead of shuffling multiple people around.

    And I hate to say it, but as soon as I started seeing multiple articles about Marquez, I knew he was gone. It just felt like the Phillies were asking writers to drum up hype around him ahead of the deadline. I’m sad to see him go, but I was mentally prepared for it. I was hoping it would be for a controllable position player, but… Gair I’m not nearly as enamored with as some people. Maybe he surprises me, but I don’t expect him to be a consistently good MLB pitcher.

    Liked by 1 person

  50. Marquez is immediately the Giants best pitching prospect. Phils have made a lot of trades where the prospect has not come back to bite them, this one could hurt but hopefully a WS makes us forget that.

    I was hoping for the SEA OF but they don’t seem to be selling since they got Ward. Arozena (sp)

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    1. Arozarena would have, in all probability, cost more than we could afford for what it’s worth. If he were available, he would have been easily the most sought after hitter of the deadline. That dude is an incredible hitter.

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  51. If nothing else transpires the trade for Arreaz is confusing. He’s certainly the type of hitter this team has needed but, as a second baseman it doesn’t make much sense. It seems like the Phillies are weakening an already weak defense – switching positions for one third of your starting team at this point of the season seems foolish. I’m also very disappointed to see Marquez go, would have much rather it had been Wood……Trading the #1 or #2 pitching prospect in your system for a rental reeks of desperation

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s why this trade makes no sense. They’ve maybe increased their chances of winning a title by 1-2%? And in order to accommodate him 3 players have to change positions to negatively affect an already porous defense. I could maybe understand the desperation if they had a Arozarena type in RF(instead of throwing away 10M to Garcia) then the only player that moves is Stott to 3B and you rid yourself of Bohms ridiculous propensity to ground into double plays.

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  52. Red Sox just got Adley Rutchman for their #6 prospect (a catcher in A) and their #8 prospect, a pitcher in A+.

    This is the equivalent of Ferrebus and Marquez. Actually, I think Marquez is a better prospect than Valera.

    That is a deal that I would do. I would sell Marquez for Adley. He is an immediate upgrade and fits our roster positionally.

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    1. Who’s reporting the deal for Adley? I haven’t seen anyone confirm it’s happening, nor what the prospect return would be. All I’ve seen is they have a deal in place if Sox agree to it.

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      1. I don’t recognize the name and that would be the most shocking news of the deadline, so I’m thinking it’s just someone trying to generate clicks.

        I don’t know why the M’s would buy a pure rental OF just to turn around and trade a controllable, excellent SP. And if they DO trade Emerson, I don’t see how we’d be the high bidder (unless they really believe in Painter, I guess).

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        1. My well-informed Red Sox buddy: “Oh they are definitely close.  Multiple people talking about it.”

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  55. I agree with EVERY point that V1 is making. Our already atrocious defense just got alot worse…which I didn’t think was even possible. This will severely hurt our pitchers as well. Turner to center, Stott to SS and Crawford to RF would be a better defense alignment. Harper wasn’t a good OF before so imagine now.

    Marquez is a HUGE price to pay for rental they could have had in the offseason. DD needs to go, this is such a HORRIBLE trade and roster fit. I really hope something else happens to “try” and make this make sense.

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  58. As the deadline unfolds, some thoughts:

    Phillies Defense….

    DD got unlucky. Garcia & Rojas as late inning defender was a massive improvement. Both eventually got hurt.

    Arrraez, I wanted in the offseason. Mentioned it a good amount. Mentioned he was the “Jean Segura” missing element. At the time… he had basically 1 leg, and nobody wanted him for that reason. I don’t think anyone could see this coming, SF took a gamble and it paid off, much like the OF signing of Garcia couldve worked out, but didn’t. Im surprised, because he fixed his bum leg somehow.

    Alonso, would’ve been nice as well… but when he went to 5 years it was over. 3 years and they couldve made it work. A lot of wanted Marte, but Dbacks aren’t selling. Aroneza was the player the Phillies needed to sign when he was available.

    On the BP, its tough those guys are so hit or miss, but Keller getting hurt + Garcia kill this deadline along with Painter being a big questions mark (maybe less after last start) …

    As a result…DD is having to pay out the rear. Everyone knows he’s desperate. will see if he can get some more upgrades. About 4 hours to go.

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  59. I just don’t understand how we spend months talking about how the Phillies can’t draft or develop any good major leaguers and now we’re all up in arms about a 20-year old in A-ball. Every “expert” I’ve seen grade out trades thus far have given the Phillies an “A.” Harper has only gotten worse at 1B and we dealt with 4 years of Castellanos in RF. It’s not the end of the world. Bohm shouldn’t be on the team. So he will bring us down no matter where he plays. I believe Stott will handle 3B just fine. And depending on your belief in advanced stats, we are adding a 3-win player into the lineup. We should be happy, even if we meet our ultimate demise a the hands of the Dodgers.

    Right now, we are a better team then we were a couple hours ago. Let’s go win some games!

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        1. What if we nabbed Heliot Ramos? Harper stays at first, Stott to third and like you said, cut Bohm. That would be a pretty good trade deadline.

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  60. It seemed pretty clear throughout the offseason that the Phillies were planning to sell high on Marquez. I don’t love trading him, especially for a rental, and my bigger issue is that it feels like they could have gotten more in return.

    That said, Arraez was one of the few impact bats realistically available at the deadline. This lineup’s biggest weaknesses are its poor OBP and inability to manufacture runs, and they just added the current leader for the NL batting title. He has also posted +11 DRS at second base.

    I’m also not as concerned about the positional chaos yet for a couple of reasons. Bryce hasn’t been particularly good at first base this year, so moving him to right field may not necessarily be a defensive downgrade. The same can be said for Bohm at third and Stott at second. If Stott, Harper and Bohm can be even somewhat serviceable at their new positions, the moves could still result in a net defensive upgrade for the team.

    And the deadline isn’t over yet. Who knows what else Dave has up his sleeve?

    I also think people are overlooking the value Kilian brings to the deal. He has a sub-2.00 ERA before the ninth inning, and if you remove two disastrous ninth-inning appearances, his overall ERA is also below 2.00. He comes with five years of team control, and one look at his Savant page suggests he has Caleb Cotham written all over him.

    This feels similar to when the Phillies sold high on Klassen to acquire Estévez. Klassen looked like Nolan Ryan in Clearwater that year. Could Marquez become the next Ranger Suárez? Maybe. But there’s still a better chance that, like Klassen, he never becomes an established major leaguer.

    Marquez was Dave’s biggest sell-high trade chip that teams wanted outside of Renteria. I don’t love the deal, but the logic behind it is defensible.

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  61. It seems like shipping off Bohm would be easier than moving Harper to the OF. Harper – 1B, Arraez – 2B, Turner – SS, Stott – 3B. If they did this, DD is likely in the market to acquire another OF.

    Question – would you trade Renteria in a package for Wyatt Langford?

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    1. Id rather trade wood.

      Unless the plan is to promote Wood and McFarlane to see who can push the bullpen even with the new additions.

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      1. It’s no surprise that that Giants wanted Marquez. Scouts on other teams are not dummies either. If we can see it, they can see it. In this day and age, there are no more surprises.

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  62. Bohm is probably an upgrade defensively over Harper at 1B but I really would have loved a Taylor Ward move and a DFA of Bohm.

    If we get Clay Holmes I’ll be happy. Hes the best fit out there for me. Maybe Mize.

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  64. Jacob deGrom told Texas that he wasn’t waiving his no trade clause. The Texas Rangers are only 2.5 games behind the Astros for 1st in the West so it’s curious that the Rangers are asking deGrom, Seager and Eovaldi to waive their clauses.

    So I highly doubt any of the Phillies will waive their clauses in the foreseeable future.

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  65. Here is another way to look at the offseason …

    A lot of us wanted change, Realmuto was part of that change… but the cards crumbled bad for the FO. Imagine they did sign Bichette… and they let Realmuto walk. Resigned Ranger? and fraded for Rutchsman at the deadline. I didn’t think Rutchman wouldve come available, hard to predict that one, even with Basollo. Figured they’d be able to make it work with 1B and the DH. DD is getting unlucky in ways. I’ve followed the BAL rebuild from afar, it’s crazy they are falling apart. Westburg was another I’d like to of had from BAL

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    1. Jackson Holliday is still very young and likely extremely undervalued. I’d kick the tires on that trade for sure – there’s still a ton of upside there.

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  66. Gelb: “Don Mattingly said the plan is for Bryce Harper to play RF, Alec Bohm to play 1B and Bryson Stott to be at 3B. Luis Arraez will be here Tuesday. Mattingly said the Phillies will have to “ease” Harper into right field, and it’s unclear how they will do that.”

    This could be extremely messy and could get people fired.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. There is no such thing as “easing into RF”. The Phillies traded for Arraez so he’s likely playing every day. So if the Phillies want Harper, Stott, Bohm to play every day too, Harper is going to RF starting now. If he’s a butcher in RF, you can direct your venom at DD.

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  67. So CF is a platoon of Hill and Crawford? Is that the plan?

    Presumably Rincones gets sent down and they bring up a RHH who could plausibly play left when facing a tough lefty (Marsh’s numbers against LHP are not good).

    These moves are good news for Keaton Anthony fans — there is no longer a valuable player blocking him at first base!

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    2. I expect that part of this deal with Bryce is that it is temporary. I fully expect to see Harper back at first next year.

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    1. Arraez probably signed with the Padres because they were willing to let him play 2B. Now that he’s traded, he really doesn’t have the leverage to say where he’s playing with his new team. It’s out of courtesy that the Phillies will let him stay at 2B, although it’s likely his best position (he actually is 0.1 dWar).

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      1. The Philllies will try to extend Arraez. Stott will play 3b or SS next year as Bohm will be gone and Harper will go back to 1b

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    1. Indeed….though Harper said he would be willing to move back out to RF, but then again he also requested they needed help last week.

      Now if Turner would have just said he would be wiling to move to LF,,,with Marsh sliding over to RF, things could have been different and changed at this deadline.

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      1. I wasn’t talking about Harper, though his fussiness about where he hits reminds me of kids refusing to hit leadoff in little league.

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    1. Agreed, but once you moved Harper back to the 9F, you essentially have 2 Allstate’s out there now. The only move that makes sense is dumping Bohm or trading for a CF – Buxton… but he’s got Mike Trout-itis where he’s allergic to trades. Those two are a head scratcher. Who doesn’t want to play in the postseason? You must really like the dog days of summer. 162, not a game more.

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  74. I wonder if they try to sign Arraez in off season? The won’t resign Bohm.and don’t know what they will do with Stott ?

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    1. That’s why he’s playing second base. That’s his preferred position. If they want to resign him, they’ll have to commit to that decision. And they do want to resign him. Arraez turned down multi-year deals during the offseason and opted for the one-year deal with SF because they offered him the opportunity to play second base. I just saw him on a clip during the pre-game show. He looks a lot slimmer, in better shape than I remember. I know he’s a LHB but his splits are almost the same vs RHP and LHP (.328 vs .315). Even better against SP (.323 vs .327 against lefties). He doesn’t walk much (25, 5.4%) but he doesn’t strike out much either (21, 4.5%).

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  77. Like Brady Singer for a stretch run over Painter? We couldn’t match any offer on a starter?

    Hoffman seemed to fetch more than I thought but nothing too crazy.

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  81. I liked Marquez but I’ll trust Dombroski’s scouts over word press scouts. Was busy all day working today and crabbing yesterday to respond to guy that tried to convince me Cody Bellinger and Cory Seager not that great of first round picks by Dodgers. My guess is most fans would say a guy who hit game winning home run in 7th inning of NLCS (Bellinger) that would enable other guy (Seager) to win WS MVP would be to acceptable draft picks

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s not so much trading away arguably the systems best starting pitching prospect, it’s the half hearted attempt in general at the deadline.

      And we get a Jayson Stark comment that the front office “ran out of time” to acquire SP. Like 8-10 starters were traded. What were they doing?

      They made 2 trades. Had a big old “that a boy breakfast” and slipped into a food coma for the rest of the day.

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    2. Who said that Cody Bellinger and Cory Seager were not great first round picks by the Dodgers? I don’t recall ever seeing anything close to that comment.

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  82. One last post on this deadline and then I will move on.

    Taylor Ward is a true corner OF. He is a +6 DRS in the OF this season. He hit 37 homers last year and this year has a higher OB% than Arraez. Seattle got him for basically nothing. 2 prospects that weren’t in their top 30 and a 27yo RP in the majors with a 5.79 ERA. Ward crushes LHP .269/.413/.426/.839. He is also on a 1 year deal, same salary.

    Instead of adding him for non-prospects, we added a second baseman with no power and a lower OB% than ward. That move required us to shift 3 players to worse defensive positions. We also gave up a top SP prospect and a RP prospect who BA wrote has the best fastball metrics in the minors.

    Meanwhile, we didn’t upgrade our backup catcher. We still do not have a 4th or 5th starting pitcher that can get outs. We still can’t hit against LH pitching. We moved our best defensive player to a position he has never played. And we didn’t upgrade any of our other weak defensive positions.

    That is poor roster management. There is no spin that can change that conclusion. That is common sense, that even “a word press scout” can understand.

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    1. going after ward made sense. I think arraez is a betterbplay but that would’ve made sense.

      didnt stott start at third a couple years ago?

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      1. Stott played a total of 15 innings in 2 games his rookie season at 3rd. During that time, he was graded as being -1 for defensive runs saved. And -1 for fielding run value. And -1 for OOA. It’s not a trivial change to switch from 2B to 3rd without any practice.

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        1. I don’t think they will do this but with Schwarber’s struggles over his last 30 games, 23 for 105, 4 HR’s, 48 K’s, 23 BB’s, why not give him a couple days off and put Turner at DH, Stott at SS. Gives them a couple days to think what they want to do but I guess they won’t take him out of the lineup.

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    3. I think there are a few things here worth considering.

      Ward: I actually liked the idea of getting Ward. But based on DD’s comments today, it sounds like they passed on a RH OF because they don’t think anyone available, including Ward, is a real upgrade over De La Cruz with how he’s hitting. Whether that’s right or wrong is another debate.

      Defense: I think people are assuming this automatically makes the defense worse. Fangraphs DEF this year:

      • Harper: -9.8
      • Bohm: -2.2
      • Stott: +4.6 (despite the weird -8 DRS)
      • Arraez: +8.6

      Arraez is an upgrade at 2B. Stott at 3B is probably still an upgrade over Bohm, even with the arm. Bohm can’t be much worse at 1B than Harper has been, and Harper was a serviceable RF before moving to first. I could honestly see this ending up being a net defensive upgrade.

      Marquez: I think people are overreacting to one great year in A-ball. Keith Law had some interesting comments about him in The Athletic. He basically said Marquez is a sinker/changeup guy who can’t spin a breaking ball, and pitchers with that profile rarely develop one later. Law could absolutely be wrong, but Marquez is far from a sure thing. The Phillies turned him into a guy who could win the NL batting title and a reliever with electric stuff and years of control.

      I agree the lineup still has issues against lefties, but adding Ward instead of Arraez doesn’t suddenly fix that.

      The back end of the rotation is definitely a concern, but they’re clearly betting on Nola coming back and Painter holding up. I just don’t think this deadline was nearly as bad as people are making it out to be.

      Liked by 3 people

  83. so I guess the plan is to play Colby Thomas in LF against lefties — he has a career MLB OPS against lefties of .743 in limited playing time, .905 OPS against lefties in AAA last year, etc. So two outfield platoons and Harper in RF?

    how does Bohm stay in the lineup?

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  84. Renteria was a triple shy of the cycle, hit his 8th HR, picked up his 40th RBI, going 3-4. Now up to a .367 ave and a 1.085 OPS

    Edwin Ramirez was 1-3, now up to .393 with a .993 OPS

    Para was 1-4, now up to .305 and .925 OPS

    Liked by 2 people

  85. This smacks of desperation. There was no way in the world we should have dealt a top prospect (plus Gair!) for a rental. And as much as I do like Arraez, this was not a smart move.

    Marquez’ results this year is what we dream about on this site, and so rarely have! Yet, we just threw him (and Gair!) away for a rental, who doesn’t fit our roster well, and barely improves our odds vs LA.

    DD needs to go already.

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    1. So, we probably need to extend Arraez. Then he wouldn’t be a rental.

      That’s better. Probably not for you. Because what we gave up.

      I see Turner’s performance at SS and contract as bigger issues.

      And, I also don’t like Bohm at first. He becomes the weakest hitting 1B in the league. I would have traded Bohm tonite.

      Arraez is 28, 5 years younger than Turner.

      I say extend him. Give him a shot.

      Don’t like it, then trade Arraez under contract.

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      1. Whether or not they sign Arraez after this season doesn’t really change the trade imo. Even if they didnt trade for him, they could have done that after the season. Heck, they could have done so this year immediately after the Bichette thing didnt work out. By not doing that, they cost themselves a real solid prospect.

        And you can come back with “Well, by having Arraez here now, they get sole negotiating rights on a long term deal” and i guess that might be fair, but i dont tend to buy into that. Why would a player in his position sign any extension without testing the market? Even if he ultimately does go to the team who traded for him, theres no down side to see what other offers you can get.

        So at least how I look at it, signing him this past march would have been fine. Signing him this offseason would have been fine. Doing this now was a waste of a really good pitching prospect

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  86. Derek Hill needs to be given the opportunity to play more. I don’t care about Alec Bohm’s emotions or anything else, let this guy play until he proves this isn’t the breakout opportunity he’s been waiting for. He was a first round pick – let’s ride this wave Dumbrowski!!!

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    1. Wasn’t he 1 for his last 20 prior to the slam? I agree that he has had ridiculously clutch moments but I think he is what he is (a 4th outfielder). He also GIDP in his prior at bat.

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    3. I do NOT mean this as an insult to you, but I do think a lot of times fans don’t understand that guys who have been around are not going to suddenly become different players. If Derek Hill was anywhere near good enough to be a MLB starter, the White Sox would not have traded him for pennies.

      I have seen fans do this with Edmundo Sosa every time he has a hot week (his horrible numbers this year have quieted this), and believe it or not there are still fans who consider Bohm, who turned 30 yesterday, a young guy who could still improve.

      This just doesnt happen. A late 20s – early 30s player who has been around and shown numerous times exactly what he is is not going to change. Sosa is a very good reserve, nothing more. Hill is a fun player and he seems to have a clutch factor around him, but playing every day hes going to hit .220.

      Even Dave Dombrowski does this. He sees De La Cruz play alright for 2 weeks and decides they dont need a RH outfielder. So like I said, i dont mean to come off as rude because I get your point, but it is exceedingly rare that a not-young reserve transitions to being an above average every day player consistently. Can they go on hot streaks now and then, sure! Lets enjoy those but not pretend these guys are something they are not

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      1. I agree, by the time they are in their late 20s (or early 30s), they usually are who they are. Sure, they could get hot for a stretch and even have a resurgent year, but that usually doesn’t last multiple years (for example Harrison Bader).

        What you’re hoping for is picking a former top prospect in their mid 20s and hope that a change of scenery can unlock something.

        Picking up Colby Thomas is that type of move. Now, he ripped in the PCL and we all know that PCL numbers are inflated, but I would rather take a shot at that than hope for any 30’s journeyman to have a career year.

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        1. It doesnt come close to making up for his overall deadline performance, but the Colby Thomas deal is an example of my favorite type of personnel move; the post-hype former prospect who has failed but is young enough to still figure it out.

          If I were a GM in any sport, I would get as many of these guys as i can. Especially in baseball, if it doesnt work out, whatever he stays in the minors. But even if you get 6 or 7 Dylan Carlsons for ever Jason Werth or Jeff Hoffman, its always worth the upside.

          Even in other sports: Baker, Darnold and Geno are all NFL starting quarterbacks in the league and there was a point in all of their careers where they seemed cooked. I always say bring in the guys with the stuff you can’t teach and then see if you can help them with the stuff you can

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  87. DD is the wurst.

    Even with bad contracts left and right, we are in the mix.

    Other poorly managed teams are out of it. (Mets, Toronto)

    How many holes does this team still have? Too many.

    Not enough help at the trade deadline. (need RH bat, C, RP, SP)

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  88. We need a backup C/1B. (can anyone else on this team catch? Sosa?)

    Minor league trades are still permitted.

    What team has a AAA/AA C that can hit, is currently blocked at the majors, and getting to be Rule 5-ish?

    I’m willing to trade Johan Rojas…

    Colby Thomas at C/1B? Get him some gear. He is the perfect platoon for Realmuto, who has struggled with lefties.

    -Drinking too much coffee, Slightly delusional, Looking for a solution

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  89. Could Pacheco have the same ceiling as Marquez?

    Putting Gage Wood aside, our top minor league starters are Fisher/Obermueller/ Pacheco/Chace/Bowker

    Nothing too exciting as of yet. Hopefully 1 or 2 of these guys take a step forward.

    Like

    1. If one of them steps forward, that would be an average MLB development. I think we often get tied up in what the Phillies don’t develop + compare them to the Dodgers who seemingly do. I’ll get more into it later, but they haven’t been as bad as most of us likely believe but super obviously, it can be better

      Liked by 1 person

  90. now the deadlines come and gone ….

    I’m excited for a revamped bullpen, that might get an infusion of youth as well. I’d like to see McFarlane back, and maybe even Gage Wood. Why? All hands on n deck to get that WS until this window is over.

    Liked by 1 person

  91. I started yesterday with a comment around 7:50 AM that they hadn’t made any dumb moves. Same old same old. DD can’t help himself LOL.

    He just traded a kid with sub 1 WHIP and a K rate of 14.2 per 9. Does anyone realize how good that is?????????

    I also don’t want to contradict my philosophical thoughts on windows of a high payroll team but this move at this time is a classic “Play if Safe” move that may haunt this era for quite some time. (out of fear or panic that the window is somehow closing)

    Its defensible in the sense that they made BH happy. He publicly stated the team needed help and even went so far as to text the GM he would move to the OF. Those two have taken to embarrassing each other in public.

    The high risk high reward move would of been to hold those two players and acknowledge publicly they have one of the highest payrolls in the industry and if that is not good enough maybe its time to start leaning into their young players and developing the next core.

    Wondering what they say when they come up short again. When or if Zach Wheeler is no longer Zach Wheeler. I mean he is 36 signed through 2027. No one really mentioned how in his previous start his velo had dropped below 95. One off? Maybe…

    I stated all this way back in the off season. They should have blown past the payroll.

    Classic poker you either push all your chips into the center of the table or fold and play the next hand. You don’t stand pat and get bled out through the turn and the street.

    Pete Alonso was sitting there and no one wanted him because it meant BH would have to go back to the OF SMH. Here we are.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree with you dmar. You are making a similar point to what I was making yesterday and David Murphy made in an article today.

      https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/mlb-trade-deadline-analysis-grades-dombrowski-arraez-20260803.html

      This just looks like poor roster management and an overpay. No one is saying that adding a hitter like Arraez doesn’t help our lineup. Of course he does. and despite being a LH bat, he hits lefty pitchers well. But they decided that Arraez didn’t make sense this past offseason because it would require too much roster movement. As you pointed out, they passed on Alonso for same reason too. Now, mid-season they are shuffling half of the position players. Again none of this is to suggest that Arraez’s bat won’t help. Of course it will.

      My other takeaway is that Trea Turner is a selfish player. People on here hammer on Harper being selfish, but he is willing to move to a position that he hasn’t played in years. Also Arraez is a selfish player too by not taking over 1B. If the move was Arraez to 1B and Harper to RF that is much more tolerable. But instead we have to move both Stott and Bohm. Just doesn’t sit well with me.

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      1. Agree with what you guys are saying, in regard to Harper, …….. you have to be careful when you shoot your mouth off in public ……… you just might get what you ask for! Turner is wearing “thin” on me! I keep hoping his reluctance to move is just he feels uncomfortable making a switch without practice reps, if he’s even been ask to move?

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        1. If the Phillies didn’t ask the worst defensive SS in baseball to move and just made 4 position switches instead, they’re even dumber than we all think they are. He clearly was asked and said no.

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      3. v1. I voiced this same sentiment to Ruff and Romus yesterday when I saw what was predicted. Four position shifts on a team that really is not a great defensive team to begin is befuddling.

        MLB guys were kidding that the only guy who did not move was the one who should. Also said Phillies were told that Areas said he had worked hard at 2B and would not agree to a trade if he had to switch to 1B again. No idea if true but seems to be since everyone else moved.

        I feel for DeLaCruz. Bryan has really hit and now probably has no position on a team that can use hitting at times.

        So, we see what happens. Not sure the team is still not in that middle ground, but time will tell. Padres are right on the Phillies tail and added both Ray and MIze. Should not hurt them.

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  92. Assuming Kyle’s back is okay, the best defensive shift for the remainder of this season would be Arraez to 2B, Stott to SS, Turner to DH, and Schwarber to LF. I’d rather have Kyle in LF than Trea at SS.

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    1. Kyle’s back is not ok. There’s been a little coverage of that recently and I’m surprised it hasn’t gotten more attention. That plus his (what seems now chronic) intestinal problem might be real issues going forward. Fingers crossed, yet again.

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  93. While I’m not thrilled with the defensive position shifts, one caveat to consider is IF Stott looks good at 3B the Phillies could move on from Bohm and sign Arraez for 2B. And then start the transition of Turner to the OF next yr.

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    1. They’re 100% moving on from Bohm. I’d be very interested in Arraez on a short term deal if he performs well here, I expect Stott to be above average at 3B.

      Turner going to the OF probably depends on Aidan Miller more than anything. I think he’s going to sit at SS until Miller is healthy and knocking on the door. Or does SS put too much stress on Miller?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Miller or Stott could probably handle short. Also, Arraez seems old but he’s on 29. Id say him on a decent deal if they like his fit the rest of this season. Hard to imagine, for what he is, that those skills fall off a cliff.

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  94. Before the deadline, there was complaining abiut the offense and people said DD wouls gut the farm. He trades one top 5 prospect (and i like Marquez) whos not on top 100 lists, gets the best bat moved, and people still lose their minds. Maybe Marquez becomes an ace but I’m not holding on to A ball pitchers and hoping they develop in 4 years. Again, I like Marquez.

    i didnt want DD to trade Marquez for someobe bad. Arraez is a very good player. This wasnt a 4th or 5th starter. This is a 4 time batting champ who drastically improves our lineup. Essentially Arraez for Rincones. DD improved the bullpen. He got a wildcard in Colby Thomas (was the 3rd best prospect to start 2025 in the A’s system).

    Yea, our defenese sucks. It sucked before. Our 3B defense improved. Our 2b defense grades out as similar. Harper is a bit of an upgrade of rincones. Bohm sucks at first but so did harper amd bohm sucks everywhere.

    if we resign Arraez, it makes roster management easier in thr offseason and bc of the trade, we’d have the inside track on signing him.

    not a deadline deal, but man we forget quickly that DD went out and got Hill who has directly won us multiple games.

    and was it actually reported that Trea refused to move off short? If it was actually reported, i missed it. And if so, maybe he isnt confident in his ability to switch mid season.

    bottom line, our title odds are better today than yesterday. In a non-Dodgers world, i think our odds went up dramatically. Like, i still dont believe in this team but DD improved the team without killing the farm which most on here said he was going to do.

    The amount of GM on this site is baffling. And outside of Jim and Steve, no one on here actually has connections to know the inner workings of the organization.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. This is an opinion site and everyone has a right to share their opinions, respectfully. Stop acting like it’s illegal to have opinions about public figures who’ve taken public facing, well paying jobs. We are not all journalists, we’re fans with opinions – some end up being right, many are wrong, but most of us just enjoy good discussion with like minded people.

      Liked by 3 people

    2. Yes, all us peons know is that in the offseason the Phils had glaring holes in the OF, at 3B, and hitting for contact. The front office did nothing to address these holes, except slap another half arsed fix on the OF with Garcia.

      Come deadline day, these holes are still glaring and the best fix they could come up with is trading a top 5 prospect (BTW, thats an asset, whether or not he pans out) to get a guy who a) was available on a 1 year deal in the offseason and b) requires 3 players to shift positions midseason for a team that is already bad defensively.

      One of which is your aging franchise player moving back to the OF after nearly 4 years since he last played it consistently. And he left due to elbow surgery impacting his ability to throw from the OF. Utter wishful thinking that he’ll be good out there. Meanwhile, actual OFs who could have helped minimize the defensive transitions were available for minimal cost.

      The FO is throwing anything that might stick out there. It reeks of desperation, not of an organization with a plan.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I would’ve been fine w Ward. Weird that the Orioles got so litle in return. Ward isnt the offensive player Arraez is. The chose, for better or worse, to target the offense over the defense

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      2. Imagine the difference if DD just realized what Bohm is and non-tendered him and spent $2M more on the NL batting champion and we started the year with Arraez at 2B and Stott at 3B???

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    3. If you don’t like fans voicing their opinion, then you came to the wrong site Forrest. Jim does basically one short post a week and the rest of community engagement is opinions. If you don’t like reading fan opinions and only want to read from reporters then the rest of the internet is available for you. But here we share our views.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I just think a little perspective is helpful. I get annoyed at “Trea is a selfish” when you have 0 insight into what actually happened. You speak like you have fact when you have none. Zolecki said today that they didn’t broach it with him but will probably talk during the offseason. THAT is what bothers me.

        I’m fine with people having opinions and I generally like to hear them. I’ve been a reading on this site for at least a decade and comment less than I read. I’m interested in opinion.

        I just think the Phillies have frustrated us all to the point where we’ve lost the plot a little. And don’t get me wrong, it is unbelieveable that the past three years each team has pissed me off more than the previous year. I didn’t think that was possible.

        However, they’ve also consistently been in the playoffs and have multiple Cy Young candidates and all stars. People moan about DD and I think he’s far from perfect but he has consistently done something that had not happened for a previous decade – get us in the playoffs.

        In a Dodger-less world, they are a World Series contender. In this reality, you get there and hope you get lucky.

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    4. Marquez who I would of had as untouchable especially for a rental. If you did trade Marquez it should have only been for a very controllable and very good player….

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  95. Why not go get Ward and Arraez considering the cost was so low on Ward? Lineup vs RHP of

    1 Arraez 2B, 2 Turner SS, 3 Bryce 1B, 4 Schwarber DH, 5 Ward RF, 6 Stott 3B, 7 Marsh LF, 8 Realmuto C, 9 Crawford CF

    vs LHP

    1 Arraez 2B, 2 Turner SS, 3 Bryce 1B, 4 Schwarber DH, 5 Ward RF, 6 De La Cruz LF, 7 Realmuto C, 8 Bohm 3B, 9 Hill CF

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    1. Here is my take on the Arraez thing…if DD was really going to go for it, i do not, in a vacuum, have a problem with trading Marquez for him. I am a huge Marquez guy and I think hes going to be great, but hes in A ball, anything can happen, there is no guarantee. So if the plan was to make this trade and then continue to make trades to bolster the team and make a run the year before a likely lockout, I’d be ok with it.

      The fact that they didn’t do anything else of note actually makes me hate the Arraez trade more. The Phillies are not a top tier team. They are probably in the middle of that second tier. Good enough to get a wildcard spot, but I truly don’t see any scenario where this team makes it to, let alone wins, a world series. Solely adding Arraez does not change the tier that the Phillies are in. Good player, makes the team better, but not THAT much better

      If they went on to add more guys, I would have been fine with that trade as part of the “chips all in” movement. But since they didnt, they basically went from a team who has no chance to win the WS to a team that has no chance to win the WS and also now doesnt have their best or second best pitching prospect. In the end of the day, regardless of how arraez plays here, i think that trading a prospect for a non-needle mover will not be looked at fondly in 5 years

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      1. If they resign Arraez, does that change how you look at it? Gives them the inside track on resigning him.

        How would you have tiers?

        Tier 1: Dodgers

        Tier 2: Brewers and Braves?

        Tier 3: Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Guardians, White Sox, Mariners?

        It feels a lot closer to Dodgers and then everyone else. I think it probably (depending on how things play out) but them in the “everyone else” tier. Like, the braves and brewers have a better record and I guess if anything I’d have the brewers in their own tier but both those teams have serious pitching problems.

        The Braves continue to paper over holes – they traded for Mahle and Falter to sure up their rotation – Mahle has an era over 5 and Falter (in 5 games) is at 13.97. Lane Thomas plays baseball. Alex Anthropolous hit gold with DFA’s performing and now that’s all he does every deadline.

        Milwaukee got Dustin May and some relievers.

        Dan Lebetard made the point that the Dodgers have the luxury of not needing Skubal but just not wanting to play against him. Like, Skubal could potentially mow through their lineup so they trade for him. Not facing him in the playoffs is more valuable for them than Skubal actually playing. Wild. Like, obviously he helps. But it helps them WAAY more now having to face him and Misourowski in a series.

        Liked by 1 person

  96. Curious what people think about the lineup construction moving forward. Personally it just makes perfect sense to drop Schwarber to the clean up spot and give Harper the protection he’s desired for so long. Analytics probably point against this but I just feel like it helps to lengthen the line up a smidge.
    Arraez, Turner, Harper, Schwarber, Bohm(ugh), Marsh/DLC, JT, Stott, Crawford/Hill.
    Thoughts?

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    1. Well now that he’s here he should be the lead off hitter which means I would move Crawford to 8 and JT to 9. Agree with the rest Richie

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    1. Agree. The way it was. Anyway, the guys mentioned on Stump the Fans the Phillies will now have the fewest Ks and the most Ks in baseball. Same occurred back in 1976. Fewest was Dave Cash with 13. That is right 13 in 666 ABs. My guess Schmitty was the most. But I missed the answer. I remember being so upset when Cash signed a FA deal and left Philly. Montreal maybe. I forget But I thought he had betrayed the Phillies who were still really good.

      13Ks in 666 ABs. Think about that for a moment.

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  98. Now that we have the roster we do, I’m really hoping that Rincones, Reyes, and Kemp play everyday at AAA the remainder of this year and not waste away on our bench getting 5 ABs a week.

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      1. At 23 he hit 31 HRS between AA-AAA. PCL but still its something I guess. At 24 he spent most of the year in AAA and hit 18.

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  99. I would have to think Bohm was discussed in trade talks…mainly DD. Nobody wanted him, especially as a rental. Harper resumes his position at 1b in 2027, provided he isn’t traded. Vegas is calling his name. Shedding at least half his remaining contract might be worth moving on. He took his shot here. It’s not over by any stretch, but realistically looking at life beyond his tenure. Not sure how much the BH/DD drama has been fabricated by our trusty media, but every season has its end. Dombrowski came here with a reputation that preceded him, mostly good. Let’s not regret what’s transpired since. Other than Schwarber, offensively, I would start playing the younger talent next year. Wheeler won’t replicate his results of this season. Glad they held onto most of their top 10 prospects. But let’s not hold our collective breath on any future HOFers. Just play the kids, get the next Phillies era in motion. I do think Stott is a winning player, maybe it won’t be here in the end. Time for JT to move from behind the plate and see if his bat ticks up a notch, at least in his remaining time here.

    Hopeful for October 2026, yes. But plans for ’27 and beyond can’t be put on the back burner…with or without Dombrowski.

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    1. In all fairness both have made public statements that probably should have stayed behind closed doors and despite what they back pedal on they were easily construed as jabs.

      The media doesn’t create the drama but they have a knack for amplifying it…

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      1. One thing that probably did not sit well with Middleton and Dombrowski was what happened last July 2025. Dombrowski did not publicly comment on Bryce Harper telling MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to get out of the Phillies’ locker room during that heated July 2025 meeting. Official club responses from the front office remained quiet on the confrontation, which naturally centered on economic tensions and a potential salary cap. Harper did play well in the 2nd half, but DD still had to bring up that elite status reference and that may sparked nore of an intebse fueling within Harper this past off-season.

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  100. I think we resign Arraez . Bohm walks. Stott walks. Rincon plays short. Turner to third. Get a outfielder. Is the plan.But that’s my plan

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      1. I would think that Stott has some trade value. So if they want to resign Arraez like Jim says, then my guess is they trade Stott this offseason. Unless they move him to SS and move Trae to RF.

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        1. If they re-sign Arraez, I think Bohm gets non-tendered (I can’t imagine he’s on this team after this year), and Stott becomes the third baseman to start next year and can stay there or be traded if Aidan Miller recovers and looks like a solution long-term, but my sense is that Stott will be on the team through at least the end of next year.

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          1. could be the bad news bears out there in 2028 for all we know, i hold little faith that the mlb as we know it will be the mlb.. gonna have the California Penal League out there or something similar

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    2. Rincon’s breakout year is fun, but he has some really bad splits:
      – Home OPS is 150 points higher than road
      – vs LHP his batting average is .206 and OPS is .651.

      I think he is an Edmundo Sosa type utility player.

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  101. About Dombrowski, despite his reputation as a gutter of farm systems, with the Phillies he has yet to be really burned on a prospect trade. Nothing like the Mets trading PCA for 2 months of Javy Baez.

    Odds are he will get burned at some point — maybe Tait, maybe Caba, maybe Marquez — but so far so good. I mean Logan O’Hoppe is in the minors now, Mick Abel is hurt, George Klassen hasn’t panned out, etc. I suppose Ben Brown (also on the IL now) is pretty good, so maybe that’s the worst one so far . . .

    Of course everyone on here has opinions. I can recall clearly the overwhelming consensus that Dombrowski had blundered by trading future perennial all-star catcher Logan O’Hoppe, etc., etc.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. As much as we have the benefit of hindsight, I care more about whether the deal was fair at the time. If it was, then whatever happens to the prospect to me is irrelevant. If you traded a lotto ticket prospect that had like 5% chance of being elite and he does, so be it. Mick Abel needed a change of scenery and Klassen had well documented control issues. I had no issues with those trades. Logan O’Hoppe was blocked by JT but it was still an overpay (not an egregious one). Ben Brown was an overpay at the time.

      Elite prospects are elite at most stages of their minor league career. Yes, Marquez was only at high-A but the profile screams elite. There’s a reason why ESPN graded the Giants return in this deal as A. Marquez is only 20 and dicing up hitters at High-A. This is by far the biggest overpay in DD’s Phillies career. If Arraez had another year of control at $12M, the deal would look a lot better.

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      1. I would suggest that the main issue(s) of whether to trade or keep young talent isn’t necessarily their onfield skills, but two things: the propensity to injury, and what’s happening between the ears. For instance, I wasn’t aware of Bohm’s character issues until he arrived in the Show. And it’s hard to tell if someone with off the charts stuff like Painter can pick up a baseball, let alone throw one 100 mph, without regularly feeling pain…which is to say, yes – build the farm by all means, but when you’re contending for a ring, my estimation of a young player’s talent has more to do with his value as a trade commodity moreso than as a future piece moving forward.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I don’t believe we have gotten to the point that I am defending Bohm, who Ive wanted gone for 2 seasons, but i do think “mopey” and “character issues” are not the same thing. Hes acts like a baby on the field, and it is annoying as hell for fans to watch. But i wouldnt call that “bad character.” I feel like thats a phrase that is used when players are genuinely bad people. Bohm seems nice, teammates seem to like him, he just becomes a toddler when something goes wrong. I might be nitpicking here, but i do think calling him “bad character” is too far for him

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    2. Great post.

      I am often a very big critic of DD, especially as it relates to some of the contracts that he signs that just age terribly. That said, this has not been a Ruben Amaro-like process where every year all the prospects get traded. DD is at least trying to keep most of the best prospects – I have to give him some credit for that.

      By the way, as I’ve often said, DD does his best work with one hand tied behind his back. The Luzardo trade was pure genius. I also think he may have pulled out a great trade with Colby Thomas. I wish his walk numbers were a bit better, but if you’re looking for a trade that could yield unexpected dividends, this one could deliver. I loved it.

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    3. Hao-Yu Lee for Michael Lorenzen could bite them as Lee had a .894 OPS in June and .859 in July while still only being 23 years old.

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  102. The trade with the Guardians the Phillies recd $250K international pool credit….however in the two somewhat minor trades with the Royals the Phillies recd cash consideration in each trade…..why not get that international credit line ilo of cash consideration, and use it to put it towards a LA talented kid.

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    1. You can only get what the other team is willing to give. International allotments are worth more than the money, so the Royals probably weren’t willing to part with it. But if they’re willing to give you money, you may as well take it.

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  103. I don’t think the Phillies will win a world series cause I don’t think they have the guts to do the tough things or the more creative things. Harper has badly struggled this year vs LHP. I believe he just hit his first HR off LHP since April and has only 4 all year. In 152 AB’s he’s slugging .322 with a .204 ave and a .637 OPS but they will never do anything about it. Why not give him a day off here and there vs LHP, maybe he would be fresher come playoff time if he got a little more rest as it’s not like he’s a young guy anymore.

    Schwarber has had a terrible start to August and last month he was his worst of the season so far going 18 for 78 with a .231 ave, .385 slug and .743 OPS. At the end of June he had 28 HR’s, he’s had 3 since. Again not a young guy, why not give him a day off or two and maybe he would be a little fresher as well.

    Turner is one of the toughest guys to figure out at least to me, how he wins the batting title and then this year he’s been very inconsistent. His OPS by month starting in March till now, .444, .755, .528, .693, .897, .641 He has struggled vs LHP 31 for 147, .211 ave, .313 slug, .601 OPS. He’s another 33 year old that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to give him a few games off here and there.

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    1. Maybe with an extra productive bat in the lineup now (Arraez) they will give these guys an extra day here or there, especially before another off-day would be nice. I always want them to do that to try to keep them fresh. The reality is, they don’t have the luxury because the depth is so thin or non-existent and it’s not exactly like they have a gigantic cushion in the playoff chase.

      The key as always will be starting pitching. If Wheeler, Sanchez, and Luzardo are healthy and throwing well come October, they could win even with the lineup barely scratching out 2-3 runs/game. But we need to get in the postseason first and, unfortunately, that doesn’t leave many off days for Bryce and co.

      To be clear, I am concerned about the BH numbers vs. LHPs, Schwarber’s back, Turner’s… whatever. But who can they put in their place? I guess my point is, now with Arraez, maybe you get comfortable giving a guy a day off against a weaker SP knowing that you potentially have the ability to win even without one of your big 4 in the lineup on a given night.

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    2. Trea Turner is probably the most inconsistent very good baseball player I have ever seen. It’s one thing to be really inconsistent on offense – many players suffer from that. But he’s crazy inconsistent on defense too. Last year he was very good in the field. Other years below average and this year, he’s a mistake factory. But when you watch a guy like Turner you realize how great Jimmy Rollins was – he was so good and so consistent in the field – you just put him out there and knew that you’d get excellent and consistent shortstop play.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. maybe too much going down in life outside the game get in his head too much to focus kind of like Bohm? idk but i agree he’s a yin yang guy and it’s hard to pull for him with such inconsistencies.. i could get it from the hitting aspect but how does your fielding fluctuate so much day to day.. enough with the dang backhand.. you see how stott hovers the balls.. get your mit down in the dirt.. nothing should ever get under there.. take it to the chest if it hops.. this is LL stuff he doesn’t grasp and shouldn’t need to be “coached” for millions.. imagine bowa out there with that guy? he’d eat his lunch for breakfast

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  104. Arraez is batting cleanup. See my comment yesterday on Phillies need to stop letting players determine where in the order they bat. Scream.

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    1. Weird. Then by seemingly attempting to break up the lefties – Mattingly put 4 in a row. 7,8,9,1. Could’ve, at the very least, switched Marsh and Realmuto. Bohm licking his chops thinking about how many DP’s he can ground into with Arraez in front of him.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. Why are we assuming this is a player decision? That lineup has Mattingly’s fingerprints all over it.

      Arraez has barely hit 4th ever in his career (162 PAs hitting fourth, versus 2016 PAs hitting first and 977 hitting second). And Schwarber has mostly NOT been hitting leadoff this year, so clearly he’s not demanding it.

      In all likelihood this is just Mattingly trying to get Schwarber going and being obsessed with matchups.

      Liked by 1 person

  107. We wrote about respecting opinions earlier today. That’s why I like this site. Mr. Jim runs a tight ship and things don’t get out of hand. We don’t always agree with each other but the respect is there.

    Yesterday I posted that maybe Harper should stay at first base and the only change in the infield should be Arraez at second and Bohm and Stott platooning at third.

    How often has Sosa platooned with Stott at second? A lot, I think. With the higher ups not heeding my advice, I’d much rather see Harper in left field but I’m pretty sure he wants right field or no outfield.

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  108. Even better – Alec Bohm is hitting behind Arraez, presumably so Alec can GIDP every time Arraez hits a single. What are they thinking?!?!?

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  109. Hasn’t been talked about much here, but I do like the relief pitcher additions that we made. Both are significant upgrades and look like 7th or 8th inning guys. Raley as a lefty is really interesting.

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  110. Trea Turner staying at short…yada yada yada. If these talking heads were readings these chats they would know the REAL reason why that has been stated many of times in this forum! The the more you know!

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  111. The Nationals manager getting tossed last night when his player was obviously trying to trip himself to get interference is funny. Do you just ignore it when you go out there tonight? I’m assuming by this point he’s seen the replay

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  114. A few more random thoughts on this team:

    I gotta believe DD held back after that Skubal trade and decided to go all in next year after he has an offseason and new CBA to work with. Also gives them more time to evaluate their prospects

    On the lineup: I kind of like it… lol if it works as it is now. Why? I think it allows them to manufacturer runs. Hopefully Arráez can rub off on Crawford, get him to develop a little faster possibly

    on Arraez & Alonso in the offseason. I’ve wanted Arraez for while. Not tooting my horn but when I bought it up, it was shot down for reasons such his defense was awful, that e was basically a 1B only. In hindsight, we see he has recovered. I really hope they extend him. If we can get 2023 Stott & Crawford developed i love the makeup of the lineup

    i believe Alonso was an option in the offseason at some point but … once he got to 5 years, that was it. Bryce could’ve done 3 years but 4 or 5 in the OF? I think that was the issue more than roster mismanagement. At this point, I think Stott is extended. Being from Vegas doesn’t hurt.

    I know we all rag on the offense, but the Phillies now have 7 former Allstars in the lineup, MVPs, 5 batting titles, the former TCIP… in theory it should be good to win with our 3 SP and beef’d up bullpen,

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    1. Mostly just because of who he played for. Minnesota traded him because they desperately needed starting pitching. Miami traded him because that’s what they do.

      San Diego didn’t re-sign him because they didn’t have a defensive spot for him. And he signed with the Giants specifically to rebuild his value for his next foray into free agency.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Rocco. Like you he is the traveling man. Mostly because he has been an average defender and does not hit lots of HRs. He has a better lifetime average than Tony Gywnn. That is pretty good.

      They say Ron Washington worked with him a lot this year and his defense has improved. Why he demanded that he remain at 2B and not moved back to 1B where he was the last couple seasons.

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      1. Don, it wasn’t so much a demand as it was a bargaining tactic. He turned down multi-year contracts where he would play first base and DH and negotiated a one-year deal with San Francisco where he could play second base. Then he worked with Wash and dropped some weight to get ready for this season.

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  117. Ok. Turning the page, I liked what I saw last night. Arraez added energy and passion. Something this team badly needs. And he clearly lengthened the lineup by a spot. Unquestionably they are a better lineup with him.

    Another point made that I hadn’t considered is the impact that Arraez might have on Crawford as they are similar type hitters.

    Jim first reported, and I have seen elsewhere, that they intend to re-sign him this offseason. I hope the plan is to move Stott to SS, Harper back to first and Trea to RF. Then we need to find a 3B.

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    2. Then we need to find a 3B.

      That would be Miller I assume…by mid-Auguyst is suppose to be the start of baseball activities according to the schedule they released back in June.

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      1. Just like they should have had another starter at the beginning of the season, they should have another infielder. They cannot repeat the same mistakes. Though I fully expect them to repeat the same mistakes.

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    3. Also turning the page to a certain extent. DD will look really smart through the end of the season. I think had they not done anything they could have been at risk of missing the playoffs.

      Personally I wouldn’t have cared if it meant we held onto Marquez and our other good looking prospects.

      That said they should be a lock to make the playoffs now. Still don’t think they catch the Braves unless they suffer a major injury.

      WS is now possible again but the Dodgers line-up would have to really ISH the bed. And they did last night in Skubal’s debut.

      Skubal gave up 2 runs before exiting and the Dodgers only managed 1 run the entire game.

      Perhaps all line-ups can be streaky and we’ll just have to see who’s hot going into that 1st series.

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      1. What I don’t understand is why not get Taylor Ward too. Seattle got him for nothing. Move Bohm to the bench. Keep Harper at 1B. Ward in RF. Only defensive move is Stott to 3B.

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        1. I remember reading or hearing …or possibly dreaming that the Phillies didn’t wanna part with that much pitching depth in the minors and the Os were looking for pitching.

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            1. I’m with you, I said it at the time it happened that I was scratching my head that we didn’t beat that offer. Heck, they probably would have taken Seth Johnson back if we had offered him in a deal for Ward.

              I really don’t get it, but maybe they didn’t like something they heard/found in their due diligence? Only thing I can think of.

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  118. Most of the guys who carried the CWater team to their great start are now up in Lakewood with the new college draftees jumping in at CWater. This should make the Shore team much more interesting, and competitive, while giving us new guys to follow at CWater. It’s interesting to read K Law’s opinion of Marquez. He sees him as a future reliever, which I don’t think any of us were thinking. If true, it makes the trade much easier to accept. Plus I love Arreaz’s game and think he’s the perfect addition to our squad, with the guys position changing notwithstanding. Let’s get him resigned, Stott to SS, Turner to CF, Crawford to LF, and Marsh to RF next year. We’ll need to find a 3b if Miller isn’t ready and it’s hard to believe he’ll be ready. But if they strike and half a season is missed, he could be ready by then because the minor leagues will still play.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I hiope they work Turner in the OF during spring training with the intention that if/when Miller is ready that Turner will move to the OF. Haven’t looked over the 3b available but I’m not sure that’s a super easy replacement unless its internal

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I’m of the opinion that Miller may not ever play baseball again and until he does and does at a high level through a full season in AAA I can’t figure him into any plans.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. If he’s got this much pain in the back now, it’s not getting better.. backs don’t work like that. I’d have moved him for a bucket of balls to avoid the medical costs that i’m sure are to come.. it’s a shame but you get what you get when you draft a guy with back problems at 17/18

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    2. Also have to assume Miller will be playing in the warmer climate of the AFL in October…..which should be enough time for more healing by then Seriously doubt they send him to Australia..

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        1. yeah not sure why you would assume he plays anywhere when he’s done zero this summer.. may as well bubble wrap him till March so he doesn’t aggravate it if it is feeling well, nothing to gain playing in afl or australia lol

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            2. yeah i was using “you” in my post in response to romus but yeah seems dude isn’t playing any ball where he may risk injury in 2026

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  120. Turner played a great shortstop last night. Stott isn’t that much of an upgrade over Turner. His arm is not as strong and the year he played SS he wasn’t all that great. Finally, Arraez’ double: If you look at it, it seems that the 1Bman botched the play with poor footwork. Am I wrong about that?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The thing that I have noticed with Turner with great regularity is that he doesn’t booger up the tough or impossible plays …. it is the routine plays he messes up. When he slings a throw or casually makes a glove to hand transfer or has a nice 2 hopper come to him ……. that is a potential error on the way. If he has to glove it, do 3 forward rolls and come-up throwing he’ll get the guy every time. Almost think it’s lack of attention to the task at hand. Also, if he has to drill the throw overhand, it usually is on target ……… slinging it, not so much! Not crazy about his preference to backhand just about everything that comes his way. I do like him and wish him well, when he’s hot, he is hot!

      Liked by 2 people

  121. The August schedule is pretty soft. It starts to get tougher in September

    7 games against the Braves; 3 Against the Brewers, 3 Against the Rays and toss a coin if the Astros or D-Backs will be any good by the time we get to them.

    They are 31 wins away from 92 wins which is where I expected them to finish. And that’s with 48 games remaining. That’s a 646 WPCT.

    FWIW

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        1. yeah i don’t see a + .600 winning percentage… that’s basically needing wheels/sanchie/luzardo perfect every start the rest of the way and no bullpen blowups.. can’t count a nola/painter game as anything beyond a .333 shot… they should play to their .530 percent.. will it be enough? they are on a lil run here but O’s and Nat’s are who they should rake against so no real telling signs like the Dodger/Yank series.. if they get in, they have a shot like anybody else and maybe better then most with the horses but we’ve seen it now 4 years.. they are not a pressure team and philly puts the pressure on them in october.. they know it’s a madhouse and they can’t seem to play in it.. beyond 22 when nobody expected anything and a series in 23.. buncha nervous nellies…, 06/07/08/09 teams were dawgs if you know what i mean.. not a bunch of prissy boys

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  122. I’ll now publicly eat some crow and admit that there is some logic to Arraez batting 4th: he has the highest average with RISP in baseball history, and this year it’s actually .400. So if Turner or Harper is on 2nd, the odds on them scoring is a lot higher than it was two days ago. I love his energy (and Hill’s). This team really needed it.

    Stark’s column this morning says execs from other teams have told him the Phillies are the biggest threat to the Dodgers.

    And it looks our new bats from college are starting off well in Clearwater.

    Liked by 1 person

  123. To v1’s point before – I agree that Arraez influence on Crawford could be profound. They are very similar hitters and just watching Luis will improve Crawford. My – if they could have Crawford bat 9 and Arraez bat 2nd – with Trea in between- it would be a track meet. I really think Crawford is going to end the year with a .280 BA – he will gain confidence.

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      1. yeah they need to start spitting nails.. get fired up.. bunch of flacid baseball all year.. barely a positive run differential like they are complacent with winning barely.. shove it down some teams throats for once… put the rubberband around the plums and stop being so soft and kid friendly

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    2. I really like Arraez, but only if the Phillies can sign him beyond this year. I’ve always felt the same about Crawford. He’s had his ups and downs this year, but he’s a rookie and only 22 at that.

      Also I think Dombroski figures Bohm (Scott Boras client) is not going to be here next year. So let him finish out the year at 1st base. See if Stott can handle third base and next year Harper returns to 1st base. Of course Miller could recover and I’m not sure if Sosa is available in a pinch.

      But I think that trade was made with 2027 in mind.

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      1. i like him for a year

        i like him for more

        i like rbi’s

        i like obp and ops more

        who cares how long it is, just win a WS.. the rest is details for MLB 2.0… liking a guy only if he resigns.. yeah ok… sure, everybody wants to have their cake and eat it too but really who cares if they win it all? that is what this team is right now.. either they win it or it’s blown up by 28 with a bunch of 36 year olds with bad knees

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  124. I remember reading or hearing …or possibly dreaming that the Phillies didn’t wanna part with that much pitching depth in the minors and the Os were looking for pitching.

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  125. In 1996, Paul Molitor drove in 113 runs for Minnesota. He hit only 9 homers. In this lineup over a full season, with Arraez batting cleanup, that might happen again. Love his pure hitting approach and energy. Thinking outside the box is often worth the initial ridicule until the naysayers are silenced.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. By golly, Mark you’re right.

      Paul Molitor was a freaking hitting machine – one of my favorite players of all time. He wore the Phillies out in the 1993 WS, but he was so good and such a clearly good guy, you couldn’t even be mad at him – you just had to admire him and respect skills which were elite by any definition.

      When it comes to pure hitting there are so few guys you can put in Molitor’s class, especially since he wasn’t just a contact hitter – he drove the ball all over the field. He was a holy freaking terror at the plate.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Molitor’s OPS in the 1993 ALCS was 1.177, in the World Series, it was 1.571!!! When it came to hitting, Paul Molitor was the man!!!

        Liked by 2 people

    3. didn’t bohm have like 110 rbi’s with sub 20 homers? with that many chances to get guys in, he either got an rbi or hit into a dp… rbi’s are a circumstance stat and really don’t show much when you always get that cicumstance.. bohm needs to be no higher in the card then 7

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      1. sorry 97 ribbies 15 hrs in 24.. but still you get the idea.. how the dude never got the idea of back spin on the ball and launch angle is crazy with his size and should be power

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  126. Romus win 3out of 5. 48 games left that’s 27 wins plus 61 68. Unless Nola can win a game

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        1. Agree. Think Nola may be 7 straight. Said last win for the 5rh spot was May 18th. Rocco that is before the early payouts were even imagined. Many moons ago.

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  127. Watching Arraez made me recall the role Jean Segura played for the 2022 Phils during their magical run. He’s a slap hitter who disrupts with his energetic scrappy approach. The team never replaced that energy and they’ve (to my eyes) gotten worse every year. Arraez is an upgrade on 2022’s Jean Segura. Unfortunately the 2026 versions of our remaining 2022 roster feel like downgrades due to decline. At least the rotation feels built for the postseason though anytime I assume the strengths are pitching, the bats show up and the starters get shellacked so who knows.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. good comparison.. segura willed them into that 2022 run.. even Casty started to turn it on late in the year with Liam in the stands wanting to show his boy how to play… the Dawgs in them came out.. let’s see if these old cocks have some dawg left

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      1. also, harp gonna have to fix that growth under his eye soon, that can’t help him see.. thing looks like it’s growing by the day

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      2. The daycare too with Vierling, Stott, Bohm, Maton, etc. Maybe they can recreate that kind of magic with bringing MacFarland, Gage Wood, etc up down the stretch to jolt the bullpen. Last night was about as much of a disaster as you could have with the new guys.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Yes exactly, that young dumb and full of you know what energy… we got Dad bod energy right now and it shows… bad.

          also Stott at 3rd… that ball in extras.. bohm gets that.. taller/longer/bigger glove etc… not that it mattered really after the gaff in Center but still.. Stott was beat down the line.. sure he fields fine but you need faster reaction over at 3rd with less distance from the batter to your position.. maybe he gets better with reps but he shouldn’t be the 3rd out there

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  128. Didn’t take long for the bullpen reinforcements to stink it up. Of course, Alvarado didn’t help too much. He’d been pitching well of late but I guess he can’t pitch under pressure anymore. Oh, well!!

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  129. Sometimes it’s the big things, like the new bullpen guys looking like the old bullpen guys, or maybe as many as three players injured (we’ll know tomorow.)

    But sometimes it’s the little things. If Realmuto hadn’t challenged a strike that was a strike he would have had a challenge left to challenge an obvious ball four that was called a strike and the Phillies likely win the game. Instead, the scoring line shows a six-run loss making it appear lopsided in the wrong direction.

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    1. Let’s not blame that L on the challenge stuff.. Alvarado couldn’t throw a strike, like no shot.. dude is done, get him out of there.. bring up anybody else besides letting him pitch anymore.. if they are serious about winning why do you let that guy pitch? bc you paid him? ate casty $.. ate TJ money.. time to eat Alvarado money next.. bring me wood or anybody else who doesn’t get paid yet and let them show they got it… also we had what 5 hits? they deployed the Lefties and we choked and when we had chances we just walk guys in.. that made me almost as mad as watching duran walk in a run against the dodgers last year bc he couldn’t throw a strike.. can’t try to strike everybody out all the time bullpen.. we need pitchers not hurlers

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Steve, Agree 100 percent. Just pointing out one of those quirks of baseball, JT walking then means not having to rely on the bullpen. Of course the bigger picture is the bullpen’s favor.

        Liked by 1 person

  130. What are thankful for little phillies fan? That DD got us some great bullpen arms Hope he signed them up 3 yr 45 million contracts.

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  132. They should not lose to the Nats after they trade Garcia Jr and Wood is out of their lineup. Sheesh…

    Didn’t see the game I was at Kaleo but why did Painter only get to throw 63 pitches? Are they playing with fear that he got through 4 IP with only one run and he was about to implode?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. He left with hamstring tightness, may have occurred when he slid in his delivery early in the game. At least thats what was said on the air!

      Liked by 2 people

        1. The winning one! Get your pumpkin order into Don. Atlantic Giant, Big Max or Big Moon? Harvests right around the corner.

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      3. He still looked like he was falling to the 1b side after delivery and as such slipped and tweaked the hammy.. a bunch of the pitchers appear to be falling off the mound instead of driving down plane/center to the catcher

        I’m sure alverado was having issues with grip out there in the humidity/sweat on his hand.. think they needed new rosin bag at somepoint but dang he had no command what so ever

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  133. Last season I went to Jimmy Rollins WOF night and it was really special. That was also right after Duran and Bader got to town. It was an electric come from behind win and the unveiling of the Durantula spectacle was something I’ve never witnessed before.

    Tomorrow I’ll get to see Chase go on the WOF. I imagine it will be equally as cool but the game itself might be something different. The Jays traded for Soriano and that could make for a tough night for our bats.

    We have to start showing we can hit good pitching because they will see a lot of it in the playoffs.

    Liked by 1 person

  134. I took a peak at the playoff picture. Teams in the NL are good this year.

    Dodgers are currenly in the 1st round. Would you rather face them in a shortened series, in round 1? Or let them sit in a bye, and face them in a 5 GM Series? Or a 7gm in the NLCS?

    Trying to see how our depth matches up with theres, and if it’s likley better odds to get 2 wins, 3 wins, or 4 wins vs them.

    That said, Brewers aren’t a walk in the park either. AZ is still AZ imo, and SD is tougher now than in 22.

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    1. Definitely a short series. Easier to clip a much better team in a shorter series. The Jays went toe to toe with them though but that’s the edge to the much better team a 7th game.

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      1. Yeah, I think a 7 gm series would be the toughest challenge. If you assume you’re going to face the Dodgers in the playoffs, and not get super lucky by someone else knocking them off for you… they yeah, i guess you’d take your best chance in a 3gm series and hope Sanchez and Wheeler can do their thing in the playoffs, and the team offense can get you just enough against Skubal & ? Yamamoto? That said, you’d have to have Sanchez & wheeler lineup for the 3 game series. If not, you gotta to a 5 gm series. Its a tought road this year

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        1. I’d rather not bother with this. We are the 3rd Wild Card spot with several teams barely behind us. Schwarber hasn’t had a hit in 3 weeks and the bullpen can’t stop stinking. Let’s see if they get into the postseason. Beggars can’t be choosers.

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          1. he fouled off so many hanging breaking balls last night.. just missing them it seems.. didn’t seem like it was timing.. seemed like bat angle.. kept going off the top of his bat.. i know they want that ball backspin for carry but prior to this funk he was still getting his singles and squaring up the ball, seems he’s trying to force the backspin or something… does he wear contacts? maybe an eye doctor visit is needed… that’s something i always wonder about.. how many of the guys wear corrective lenses and how often are they checked for changes… i’d have an ophthalmologists on staff and be looking at these guys in their mid 30’s a few times a year if i owned a team.. maybe they do.. i don’t know the inner workings but with all the other areas they focus on the eyes i would think would be critical

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  135. In his two starts since being recalled, Painter has thrown 10 innings with a WHIP of 1.00, an ERA of 2.70, and 10 Ks. It’s only two starts, but it’s encouraging. Incredibly, the Phillies are 5-23 this year in games started by the fifth spot in the rotation, so if Painter can be decent it will really change the team’s overall performance.

    Regarding his hamstring, the Athletic article today said “there is no imaging scheduled, Painter felt better with treatment and he said he feels good about making his next start”

    Liked by 3 people

    1. The notable thing about his two recent starts is that he looks like a completely different pitcher as the game goes on. Right now the first inning is his trouble inning, and then the longer he’s out there the more efficient he gets.

      That’s so odd considering most pitchers are the exact opposite. I hope JT can come up with a game plan to make his first innings less of an adventure.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. facing a teams best 3 hitters to start a game probably plays into that.. being hyper focused on the task might not lend to relaxing and getting in a groove….. can’t recall but they did an opener for him once right? not wanting to repeat bad starts/getting shelled has to be in the back of his mind that first inning.. might behoove them to have a starter for him and have him come in inning 2.. at least down the line if it continues to go that way

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        1. He did have an opener, though it wasn’t a planned one. He had a migraine that caused him to miss the start of the game but he was feeling up to coming out for the third inning.

          Liked by 1 person

    2. Im optimistic, and very happy for the results of the minor league stink so far. If his hamstring is flaring up, might be a conditioning thing as his lower half gets used to the loading rework of his delivery. Will see. I know he wasn’t facing off against the Dodgers but the Nats are at least in the WC hunt

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  136. what’s the reason for 6:05 starts again? so the away team can have easier travel? growing tired of games where i miss 7 innings because i can’t tune in to watch till after 8 when kids are finally fed/bathed etc. i much prefer the old all games are 7:05… or if they want to do 6:40.. fine but just do that, don’t mess with it.. still stinks.. guess they probably save on electric costs by not needing full brightness on those damn LED’s till further along in the game.. all about that might $ and finding every penny in the margins be damned the experience. haven’t been over there since last september but being at the stadium really feels like watching rats in a lab/maze with the LED’s like they are not to mention the guys at bat having all those images all over the walls/screens and showing every dang stat that is available.. it’s distracting as a fan let alone a player, i’m sure they would prefer less stimulus flashing at them when the miz is whipping 106… who comes up with this stuff all in the name of making the game a “better fan experience”.. only done the opposite for me personally.. pitch clock and ABS is ok i guess.. don’t think they needed to mess with the base size though but they should tone back the use of those horrid LED’s… like being in a cubicle with them blarring down on you out there

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Steve I know people who sit below the overhang in the first level and leave their seats Al, the time because the PA plays music all the time that is extremely loud. It’s like going to an Eagles game and they blare rap music between snap the whole game way too loud. It doesn’t make the experience any better.

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      1. yeah when my friends and i went for game, shcwarb hit his 50th that night, but we just got cheapest tickets off Gametime app and walked around, didn’t bother with seats so we could talk/hang/get different vantages i hadn’t been there since the overhaul of lights etc and was struck by how sterile it made the game and like a science experiment was taking place on the field vs how it was with incandescent.. i can’t have those LED’s at home either hurts my head to see light that way then all the other stimuli can’t see how that helps players trying to win or compete in the least and can’t see how anybody with eyes and ears thinks its “better” then it was.. no charm, doesn’t feel organic, feels totally corporate and a business instead of a pastime.. i get it for hockey or basketball or something inside but turning a natural outside setting into a rat race lab is gross to me.. we still had a good time together but the feeling of the game was alien in person… prefer it on the tube sadly.. have all stadiums done this? do any not use LED’s now?.. all so they can flash them on and off in an instant or whatever they like to do to “pump” up the fans.. organ guy does that just fine

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      1. nah i just watch those like MLB.com stories for the game when i miss them.. if it’s over i check the box score first as that tells me most of what i need to know without looking at videos and then over to the stories.. if stories seem to not show enough then there are the 12-13 min recap vids that delete out the non action parts

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  137. I’m pretty sure the Dodgers will get one of the two byes in the first round so worrying about playing them in a 3 game series is pointless. Also in regards to Schwarber and a bunch of our other moronic hitters, just try and catch the ball with the barrel as opposed to trying to hit the ball out of the stadium. Especially with two strikes these idiots swing as hard as they can. The pitchers velocity will provide plenty of power. Bonds spoke of this all the time and he was 10x the hitter anyone in our lineup is.

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    1. This also reminds me of a story about Kris Bryant. His father coached him at some point in his younger years and told him to swing as hard as he could because he may catch up with one and hit it out. This mentality/ coaching has overtaken the sport( with a little help from espn promoting the home run incessantly). When Theo Epstein left the Cubs he spoke about the over reliance of analytics and the obsession with the home run ruining the fans experience of watching the game. I agree with him and he was a proponent of heavy analytics. Three true outcomes is not fun for the viewer. My two pennies. Go Phils!

      Liked by 1 person

  138. I just saw a post trade deadline prediction. Brewers, Dodgers, Braves, Cubs, Phillies and Padres in that order. If Phillies happen to make it that is not a bad deal. No Dodgers till the NLCS. Long way from that. FWIW.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. we trott alverado out there again and again and we’ll be on the outside looking in.. all that money spent and guy can’t put one in the zone.. not 1

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        1. Just speculating, but I’m assuming because he has trouble staying in the zone.

          He had a 4.63 BB/9 and 12.6% BB rate in AA, and now he’s up to 5.40 and 14.3% in his brief taste of AAA.

          For comparison, Alvarado after his walk parade last night is up to 3.64 and 8.7% for the year.

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        2. I’m sure that the team evaluators are split on his readiness. And I’m sure it doesn’t matter how many think he is ready. Apparently, the guy who has final say doesn’t think so.

          Liked by 2 people

        4. I read also about his issues vs LHB; it’s stunning to me that he doesn’t get a chance with the slop we’ve thrown out there this year .

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  139. I can’t wait until Bohm is gone. Freakin double play balls. Every stinkin game. Mickey mantle, Mike trout, jimmy foxx, Johnny bench and Honus Wagner could be available in the draft and we’d take Pat Combs. So frustrating.

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    1. I have a slightly different take on this. Bohm does hit into lots of double plays. The Dodgers hit into the most DPs in baseball. That means they put the ball in play. I would rather that and the possibility a play may be misplayed as to watching guys take that walk back to the dugout. Striking out over and over puts NO pressure on the defense. Last, I looked Dodgers are pretty good and I kid Ruff and Romus nightly that I will always prefer balls put in play. Bohm has lots of RBIs because for the most part he puts ball in play. I can live with the DP.

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      1. Among active players, no one has as many gidp’s in as few of at bats. If he continues his career in thr majors, he’ll skyrocket up those lists. Tied for 1st kn NL this year w 16 but he’s a a heater. Junior caminero leads baseball w 20. But he way more hrs

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        1. Where is Bohm now on the Phillies RBI list? I know he is near or at the top. I will always take a guy who hits the ball as compared to those who enjoy taking the trip back to the dugout. Those bother me watching as opposed to the double play. Neither are good. But the guy striding back to the dugout did absolutely nothing to help his team.

          As I mentioned earlier the Dodgers were way out in front on double play balls hit. They just might end up a 3-time winner and the best record in baseball. That graphic was shown back when the Phillies played them. No idea where it stands today.

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          1. you prefer him hitting into DP’s over strikeouts for the reason “he hit the ball” ? not saying he enjoys striking out but his approach is putrid.. he’s out in front and hits the ball off the end of his bat a lot on those ground ball DP’s.. not sure he just gets too antsy when he see’s one but he falls prey to the pitchers plan too often.. i mean it’s great he has bat to ball skills but seems he has no brains advanced baseball thinking, which is my main problem with him.. low baseball IQ.. which imo also shows in his personal life

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  140. A word about the backhand.

    The Phillies, and other teams I guess, train infielders especially shortstops to take balls on their backhand. They go over it so much that some shortstops even run around their forehand to take groundballs on their backhands.

    The reasoning is that the defender can make a quicker throw to first base from a ball taken on the backhand. We’re talking portions of a second but sometimes that matters.

    The Phillies have worked on this since at least when JP Crawford was with the team. Back when he was still in the minors, I was watching an Instructs game in the stadium. I heard Crawford would be taking ground balls on the half field in front of the stadium, so I went out to watch.

    I watched him take 100 balls on either side and he circled to take every one of them on his backhand. I left after a hundred but heard he took 200 that day. He wasn’t down there to play in games. All he did was work on defense. That would be an awful lot of backhands in a week.

    I can understand how that allows the defender to make a quicker throw to first. But, it still seems foreign to me. I grew up being taught to catch pop ups and fly balls with 2 hands and to get my body in front of any ground ball I was to field. Even ground balls in the outfield I was taught to get down on one knee and square my body to the ball. Only time we were allowed to scoop a ground ball was when we had to make a throw with a runner on base.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Jim. We are just old. I remember all of those things as well. LOL I did hear also that Araez had mult year deals that he turned down. Seems he was pretty set on being a full-time 2B again. The guy sure can hit. I do like the energy that he brings to the team as well.

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    2. ah.. yeah guess those few milliseconds could make a difference but if a guy is making that many errors doing it, probably better to go back to what they can do well and if he can’t do it, time to move on over and let a younger faster muscle twitch guy do it faster in a normal fashion.. idk seems like analytic bukkake when you change your entire approach to fielding for milliseconds

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    3. Haha its like listening to my Daughter In Law tell me my grandson can’t eat a little piece of whatever unless it can be crushed up.

      I asked her once how I ever raised 3 boys of my own and not a one of them ever choked to death.

      She’s a good kid but in my experience her generation has a certain level of obtuse fear that they can’t grasp what humans long before her managed to do without the brain washing of a pediatrician.

      To bring it back to baseball the people in the game today think they know better but its not really proving itself out in the data.

      Perhaps if you want to tell me that Ozzie Smith and Omar Vizquel never had to worry about runners who were as fast as they are today maybe I buy into that but no. I don’t believe that is the case.

      Liked by 1 person

  141. Jim – The first time I really took note of the backhand was in 1994. It was the first week of July and I was in Atlanta. I went to see the Braves play the Cardinals at the old Fulton County Stadium.

    I had never seen Ozzie Smith play in person. He comes out to his position and does a back flip. Amazing! He plays every ground ball hit to him to the backhand side.

    Every time he fielded the play to his backhand he was already in a position to throw the ball to first base because his timing and movement to the ball was absolutely impeccable.

    Greg Maddux was pitching for the Braves and Bob Tewksbury for the Cardinals. This was, I think, Tewksbury’s best year. The Cards won 2-0. Maddux gave up 6 hits and Tewksbury one.

    Each guy pitched a complete game with neither giving up a walk. Maddux struck out six and Tewksbury struck out ONE batter. The most amazing part was the game was played in TWO hours.

    Liked by 1 person

        1. Yeah, that was out of left field! I thought maybe it was a no hitter or something. You stumped me!

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    1. I think Maddux would still be a good pitcher today, but not nearly as good as he was back in the day for the reason you point out and for the same reason Aaron Nola isn’t as good – pitchers are spinning the ball better than ever and hitters are used to seeing it now so control pitchers who spin the ball are much easier for MLB hitters to hit.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I’m not saying that the days of the righty control pitcher are completely dead – Sonny Gray makes it work and, when he’s not missing his spots, Nola can make it work (I still think he’s going to bounce back in his career – but the adjustment is ongoing), but, unless a guy has a true out pitch (think Nola’s Knucklecurve), as a righty, it’s pretty hard to have a MLB career if you can’t dial it up to 95 when you need it. Lefties, as they have always been, are different.

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      2. The Braves would never have beaten the Indians in the 1995 World Series if the umps hadn’t given Maddux @ co a strike zone which was way too big. Indians players from that team are still ticked off about it.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Rocco. Sounds like a revisit to Skinny Joey’s. Romus filled me in on all his visits to places in the Midwest including Terre Haute IN. It would be interesting to see the guys who worked the edge of the plate plus a few more inches as well. Maddox was not the only one of the Braves. I do not know but he was such a competitor I think he would still find a way today to be good.

      In regard to Nola, he has always had the same problem to some extent. Leaving pitches in the sweet spot for hitters. Thing now he does not have those couple inches off the plate that he got for calls now. Plus, he just leaves many more pitches in the middle of the plate now than before. No doubt I do think he is one of the pitchers most affected by the ABS system. If nothing more than in his own mind he is being squeezed by the system.

      Good point though on Maddox. Jamie Moyer was able to pitch for a very long time effectively at pretty low velocity.

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      1. Yep, Moyer was a lefty – totally different deal – there’s no righty analogue of Jamie Moyer over the last 30 years that I can recall (and Knuckleball pitchers don’t count – they’re in a category of their own).

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      2. Don cheese steak 🥖 in philly is Angelos.on 9th Christian st . Did you get the pumpkins seeds planted?

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  143. Jamie Moyer’s best starts always depended on what kind of a strike zone the ump was giving him. If the umpire gave him a wide zone, he hammered the outside of the plate – which was his bread and butter. If the ump was squeezing him, he was in for a rough night. You could typically tell how one of his starts was going to go right from the jump. In today’s ABS version of the game, I think a pitcher like Moyer would struggle badly.

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  144. Whenever the Phillies need a win versus the Nationals, they can count on it if Miles Mikolas pitches against them. They really beat up on him. Last night for the game the Phillies had 16 hits. Seven players had two hits each and the other 2 had one hit.

    When Mikolas returned from 3 years in Japan, the Cardinals signed him in 2018 and he went 18-4 with a 2.83 ERA. The following year his record was 9-14. St. Louis still gave him a 6 year $105M contract in 2020. Since then, it’s been all downhill.

    Sounds a little bit of what’s going on with Nola. Lots of positive years and the club repays him by giving him a big money multiyear contract. I’ve got to believe (hope) that Nola will age better than Mikolas has. No one’s trying harder than his is.

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    1. looked like a lot of 90-93 mph FB’s.. if we can’t hit those idk but was like batting practice last night

      gotta pounce on the floundering blue jays this weekend and get another series win, sweep preferable, don’t let up on the gas… crazy just a +1 run differential.. time to get that thing to +15-20 by monday

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