Apr 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez against the Baltimore Orioles at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The MLB Draft is in the books, with the Phillies taking Arkansas righty Gage Wood — who has the chance to potentially be a quick riser — with their first-round pick.
Kyle Schwarber won the MVP of the MLB All-Star Game after he was the star of the first extra-innings swingoff in the history of the event.
Now, attention can fully turn to trade season. While additional Wild Card spots and teams being more protective of their prospects have watered down the trade deadline in comparison to what it was 15 or 20 years ago, this is still one of the most exciting times on the baseball calendar. And let's face it, the Phillies have some holes they need to plug to get over the hump and win a World Series this October.
Here are four thoughts on what president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies have facing them in advance of the July 31 trade deadline.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic published the most substantive report pertaining to the Phillies' plans in advance of the trade deadline to date. The full piece is well worth a subscription and your time.
Perhaps the most noteworthy part of Gelb's report was him writing that while the Phillies still aren't interested in trading No. 1 prospect Andrew Painter, they "sound more willing to trade bigger prospect chips for controllable big leaguers, especially a shutdown, late-inning reliever."
Gelb specifically pointed to the AL Central, with Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins teammates Jhoan Durán and Griffin Jax among the compelling trade candidates from that division. On Pattison took an in-depth look at all the accomplished relievers from the Guardians and Twins and tried to narrow down which of them would make the most sense for the Phillies.
It will no doubt be costly to acquire any of these controllable star relievers, but with José Alvarado ineligible for the postseason and Jordan Romano largely having flopped, an overcorrection might be in order for the Phillies in the arm barn.
There are some secondary relievers that would certainly improve the bullpen that finished in a tie for 23rd in first half ERA at 4.38. Dennis Santana of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jake Bird of the Colorado Rockies, Kyle Finnegan of the Washington Nationals and Chris Martin of the Rangers would all be nice pickups.
The Phillies, though, need more than nice. Maybe that means they trade for two nice relievers. But one great reliever — be it one of the AL Central guys, Félix Bautista of the Baltimore Orioles or Ryan Helsley of the St. Louis Cardinals — might be the best path forward. Anything less than that, especially in the wake of Gelb's surely credible report, is going to feel disappointing.
The Phillies have a few needs to address at the trade deadline, including a power hitter. @TimKellySports goes over their options in the latest episode of Phillies Stoplight🚦 pic.twitter.com/L9J2JpbnxW
For much of this era of Phillies baseball, it's felt like the team is a little too reliant on the home run. But in 2025, the Phillies are 18th in homers at 102, with Schwarber responsible for 30 himself.
Though the price would be very high, there's definitely an argument to be made for trying to acquire another top-of-the-order hitter who relies mostly on contact like Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians.
But unlike past years, the 2025 iteration of the Phillies has really felt lacking in the power department. It's great to string together hits and not be solely reliant on homers. Still, having a middle-of-the-order bat that can step up and club a three-run homer takes some pressure off your team.
Nick Castellanos was the most common cleanup hitter for Rob Thomson during the first half of the season, hitting fourth in 38 games, one more than Schwarber did it. Castellanos has 12 home runs and a .751 OPS at the All-Star Break.
At his best, Alec Bohm drives in runs at a high clip. But even though he bounced back after a nightmarish start, Bohm is a better fit to hit fifth or sixth on a contending team. He hit just eight home runs in the first half and has a .723 OPS.
Imagine for a second if you put Eugenio Suárez in the cleanup spot for the Phillies how much better this lineup would look. Yes, the Phillies would have to do some rearranging defensively considering Suárez is a third baseman. That would require either Bohm to no longer be on the team or Schwarber/Bryce Harper to return to the outfield for the rest of this season. But you would be getting a bat who has 31 home runs and has driven in an NL-best 78 runs in the first half.
If the Arizona Diamondbacks sell, Suárez is going to be one of the most coveted trade pieces in the sport. Even though he's going to turn 34 later this week and will be a rental, the price to acquire him might be prohibitive if that's not even your No. 1 priority.
The Phillies, though, don't feel like a World Series-caliber lineup right now. It would be a shame to go all-in to acquire a star reliever and then have the lineup prove to be underwhelming in October. But trying to acquire a star reliever and impact bat without gutting the farm system will be a tricky task for Dombrowski. Perhaps if Romano and/or Max Kepler panned out, the Phillies wouldn't be in this position.
Crawford is one of the most polarizing prospects in baseball. One way or another, he's likely going to make an impact for the Phillies down the stretch.
On one hand, he's got a 61.8% ground ball percentage, which would seem to be a bad omen for someone whose success at the Major League level is going to be dependent upon getting hits and utilizing his speed on the bases.
On the other hand, he's hitting .331 with a .407 on-base percentage at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year. Crawford — whose father, Carl, was a four-time All-Star —is still only 21 years old, making him relatively young for the highest level of the minors. And he's been a hits machine.
The Phillies could theoretically improve their lineup in the coming weeks if they promote Crawford and have him play every day in center field. Brandon Marsh would then shift back to left field, which is his better defensive spot anyway. Kepler likely wouldn't be on the team anymore in that scenario. Considering he's only homered twice in 296 at-bats for the IronPigs this season, Crawford wouldn't solve the Phillies' power problem. But could he help to improve the bottom of Rob Thomson's lineup? Definitely.
That is, if he isn't someone that's ultimately traded to find an upgrade elsewhere. If the Phillies are hell-bent on keeping Painter, then their other prospects will have to be on the table in trade talks.
It could be that the Phillies hold onto Painter and Crawford because they are so close to the majors, while other top prospects like shortstop Aidan Miller, catcher Eduardo Tait, second baseman Aroon Escobar and RHP Mick Abel are available in a deal. Really, it will depend how teams view Crawford, and there seems to be a distinct possibility that could vary by club.
No matter what, though, Crawford seems likely to play a role for the Phillies soon, whether it's directly or indirectly.
#Phillies reportedly still unwilling to trade Andrew Painter
— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) July 10, 2025 at 1:01 PM
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We alluded to this above, but one possibility the Phillies should consider is potentially trading from their MLB roster if it helps them to improve.
If the Phillies were serious about pursuing Suárez and landed him — which doesn't feel like the most probable outcome from here — then maybe Bohm becomes a trade candidate if you don't want to displace Schwarber or Harper. Bohm, who has one remaining arbitration year in 2026, could go back to the Diamondbacks to help land Suárez. Or he could be part of a separate deal that helps you upgrade in the outfield or bullpen.
Because the Phillies are so thin on right-handed hitters, moving Bohm during this season doesn't seem particularly likely. But he hasn't performed so well that it should be ruled out.
Another possibility could be moving Marsh. His .697 OPS is actually impressive when you consider he went hitless in April, but he's homered three times this year, strikes out at a high clip for a non-power hitter and is another left-handed bat.
If the Phillies felt comfortable turning over the reins in center field to Crawford and could acquire a right-handed bat with pop to play left field — ironically, Jo Adell and Taylor Ward, two of Marsh's former teammates with the Los Angeles Angels, would fit nicely — maybe Marsh could be moved. He mashes right-handed pitching and has two remaining arbitration years, so there would be interest in him.
Even if he's better suited to play in left field, Marsh can play center field and from what we've been able to gather covering the team, he is a legitimately great teammate. His addition in August of 2022 brought a much-needed energy to a team that eventually won the NL pennant. So he's not someone you would trade just to trade. Most likely, he'll still be here on Aug. 1.
But like we said with Bohm, Marsh hasn't done enough for this conversation to be a non-starter.
