Jul 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third base Alec Bohm (28) celebrates with outfielder Kyle Schwarber (12) after hitting a two RBI home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
It's apparent that the Phillies need to add another big bat to their lineup. But president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski may have to get creative in doing so.
The most obvious need for the Phillies' lineup is a right-handed hitting outfielder. But as they have found out in recent years, finding one of those isn't exactly an easy process. Consider who some of the top candidates that fit that bill are:
1. Luis Robert Jr.: Since homering 38 times for the Chicago White Sox in 2023, Robert is hitting .209 with a .629 OPS. He's also currently on the injured list with a left hamstring strain, and has a lengthy history of getting hurt.
2. Byron Buxton: At his best, Buxton is a superstar. He's been at his best in 2025, with 20 home runs, an .879 OPS and five outs above average, earning him his second All-Star Game nod. The problem is this is his 11th season, and he's only played more than 100 games twice.
3. Adolis García: He might be worth the risk considering he is just a couple seasons removed from homering 39 times, and is an elite corner outfield defender. But the 32-year-old has just a .672 OPS since the Rangers won the 2023 World Series.
Could Adolis García become trade target for #Phillies?
onpattison.com/news/2025/ju...
— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) June 24, 2025 at 2:38 PM
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It may be that the Phillies just have to bite the bullet and trade for one of the imperfect right-handed hitting outfielders, hoping that being injected into the pennant race will help them to change their fortunes and/or stay healthy.
But as you survey what appears to be one of the worst crops of players available in advance of a July 31 trade deadline ever, it becomes clear that to upgrade the lineup, the Phillies might need to go out of their comfort zone.
That could mean upgrading at a position that isn't currently as obvious of a need as center or left field.
For example, if the Arizona Diamondbacks make third baseman Eugenio Suárez available, he's the type of player that they could use hitting in the middle of a lineup that's delivered very little consistent power production outside of Kyle Schwarber. Suárez is an All-Star for the second time in his career, with 28 home runs and an .881 OPS.
The problem is that Alec Bohm has rebounded from a slow start and is currently one of the few impactful right-handed bats the Phillies have. Still, Bohm is hitting .279 with eight home runs and a .717 OPS. If it comes down to having him or Suárez hitting cleanup for you in October, it's a no-brainer.
Even though he's a rental, Suárez would likely not be cheap, considering the New York Yankees and other contenders will also be looking to upgrade at third base.
One way the Phillies could offset the prospect capital it would take to acquire Suárez would either be to include Bohm in a trade with the Diamondbacks directly, or shop him to the teams that miss out on Suárez. By all accounts, the Phillies got a little carried away in their asking price for Bohm last winter, with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic noting in December that the Phillies had asked the A's for star closer Mason Miller in return for the third baseman. But Bohm drives in runs, has become a capable defender at third base and has one remaining arbitration year, so if the Phillies considered offers for him, there would definitely be a market.
Alternatively, the Phillies could shift Bohm across the diamond from third to first base for the rest of this season. That would mean Bryce Harper would return to the outfield for a few months, which he's expressed a willingness to do in the right situation. However, Dombrowski has always seemed hesitant to move Harper back to the outfield.
"Well, Bryce has said that. Bryce would be willing to do whatever needs to be done, and that's one of the many things that's great about him," Dombrowski said to Jayson Stark and Doug Glanville of The Athletic. "I would really prefer not to do that. And I think part of it is he has turned into a very good first baseman."
Harper is now just over halfway through a 13-year/$330 million contract. He's already had trouble staying in the lineup as is. Even though you can make a case from a fantasy baseball sense to move Harper back to the outfield for a few months, the Phillies might balk at doing so under the belief that they need to protect their long-term investment. After all, having Harper's bat in the lineup is the most important thing.
If not Harper, could Kyle Schwarber go back to the outfield? That's another interesting idea if your goal is to build the best lineup possible. If you put Schwarber in left field, bats like Ryan O'Hearn and Josh Naylor become real options. You could either DH whichever one of them you acquired, or have them play first base and DH Harper. Some combination of the two is possible.
But, respectfully, there's a reason that Schwarber has been almost exclusively a DH over the last two years. In 2023, he had minus-21 defensive runs saved and minus-18 outs above average in left field. Schwarber had a bulky right knee in 2023, and has since slimmed down. Still, he has minus-2 DRS and minus-2 OAA in just 50 innings in left field this season. All evidence suggests Schwarber would really struggle if he had to return to the outfield, and you would be putting your best hitter at additional injury risk.
There will not be one perfect option, though. All the outfielders come with varying levels of risk. Suárez won't be cheap, and might push Bohm off the team. Returning Harper or Schwarber back to the outfield on a full-time basis after years away doesn't seem like a great idea.
Status quo, though, isn't going to produce a parade at the end of October. So Dombrowski and the Phillies are going to have to figure something out, and it's likely going to come with some level of uncertainty.
