The Philadelphia Phillies need to find a right-handed hitting outfielder and a high-leverage reliever by next month’s trade deadline.

Philadelphia’s outfield offense has struggled all season. Center fielders Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas have combined for a .636 OPS and three home runs, while left fielder Max Kepler — signed to a one-year, $10 million contract — has posted a .683 OPS and nine home runs. The struggles were highlighted in a recent three-game sweep by the Houston Astros, where the Phillies managed just one run.

The bullpen presents similar concerns. Philadelphia ranks 25th in baseball with a 4.63 ERA. Hard-throwing lefty Jose Alvarado is serving an 80-game PED suspension and cannot pitch in the postseason. Jordan Romano, the team’s biggest free-agent reliever signing, owns a 6.28 ERA in 32 appearances. Even 2024 All-Star Matt Strahm has regressed, posting a 3.90 ERA in 35 appearances.

For the Phillies to reach October and make a postseason run, they need upgrades in both areas. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber believes Philadelphia can address both needs in a trade with the Boston Red Sox.

Lauber proposes the Phillies send right-handed starter Mick Abel to Boston for lefty reliever Aroldis Chapman and right-handed outfielder Rob Refsnyder. The Red Sox sit at 40-42, seven games behind the first-place New York Yankees but just two games out of the final AL Wild Card spot.

If Boston can’t gain ground soon in the playoff race, they may shift toward selling.

“If it goes poorly, it doesn’t make sense for them to hold on to Chapman. He still throws smoke and has chopped his walk rate in half since last season. But he’s 37 and not a candidate for the $21-million-plus free-agent qualifying offer because he might actually accept it,” Lauber writes.

Lauber also noted: “Lefty-hitting Jarren Duran is the Sox’s biggest outfield chip despite regressing after a breakout 2024 season. But a better fit for the Phillies might be Rob Refsnyder, who bats right-handed and mashes lefties (.569 slugging, .972 OPS). He also played for Rob Thomson with the Yankees.”

Both Chapman and Refsnyder would address major Philadelphia needs, while Abel faces a numbers crunch in the rotation with Andrew Painter’s MLB debut approaching.

This trade could help put the Phillies’ World Series hopes back on track.

By Matt Higgins
Matt Higgins worked in national and local news for 15 years. He started out as an overnight production assistant ... More about Matt Higgins
Mentioned in this article:

More About:
0What do you think?Post a comment.