9 questions facing NL clubs ahead of Trade Deadline

In Part I of our weekend series, we looked at nine pressing questions in the American League that will have to be answered with one month left before the Trade Deadline.

Now batting: the National League.

The NL’s postseason picture is as crowded as any in recent memory, so let’s take a look at some of the issues that will have to be addressed between now and July 30:

Can the Phillies find some help in the outfield?

Philadelphia has been one of the best teams in the Majors this season despite marginal production from the outfield, where the Phillies’ .653 OPS ranks ahead of only the Pirates in the National League. Losing Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber to the 10-day IL is unlikely to ease any lineup concerns in Philly, but unless either (or both) of them miss significant time, the outfield remains the club’s biggest long-term issue.

Nick Castellanos has woken up in recent weeks (seven home runs, 20 RBIs and an .804 OPS in 31 games since May 23), but with glove-first players Johan Rojas and Cristian Pache among their current outfield options, the Phillies could use help in both left and center. Adding an outfield bat -- Luis Robert Jr.? Ian Happ? Tommy Pham? -- would appear to be the biggest priority for an otherwise complete team.

Speaking of the outfield, are the Braves still shopping in that department?

Ronald Acuña Jr.’s season-ending knee injury left the Braves in need of outfield help, bringing back memories of 2021, when general manager Alex Anthopoulos acquired Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario and Adam Duvall after Acuña suffered a similar injury, giving manager Brian Snitker a variety of options to use in the outfield.

This year’s club is also dealing with the loss of Michael Harris II, who is out until late July with a hamstring injury, putting Anthopoulos in a familiar position. Jarred Kelenic, Duvall and the newly acquired Ramón Laureano are manning the outfield at the moment, as Atlanta would prefer to leave Marcell Ozuna in a DH-only role. The Braves might have to wait for the buyers and sellers to begin declaring themselves before they have a firm grasp on which outfielders might become available, but Anthopoulos will surely be keeping close tabs on that market in the coming weeks.

Do the Dodgers need to add starting pitching?

On paper, the Dodgers’ rotation has more than done its job this season, with Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, James Paxton and Yoshinobu Yamamoto all pitching to an ERA between 2.73 and 3.39. But Yamamoto is on the IL with no clear return date, Walker Buehler is dealing with right hip inflammation and Clayton Kershaw’s return from shoulder surgery was recently slowed down by lingering soreness. Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May are no locks to return from the IL this season.

Unless the Dodgers believe that Bobby Miller and Landon Knack can hold the fort until the others begin to get healthy, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman may have to pursue other starting options before the Deadline. The expectations for this club are too high to go into the stretch run with so many question marks (and such little depth) in the starting rotation.

Will the Mets become buyers?

For the past month or two, it seemed like fait accompli that the Mets would be shopping Pete Alonso, who is slated to become a free agent at the end of the season. But New York’s recent run -- a 15-4 record since June 3 entering Saturday -- has the Mets in prime postseason position, only one game out of an NL Wild Card spot.

How the Mets fare in the first three weeks of July should determine their buyer/seller status at the end of the month, but owner Steve Cohen isn’t the type to want to pack it in for a second straight summer, so if they’re within shouting distance of the playoffs, it wouldn’t be a shock to see president of baseball operations David Stearns try to add on the margins before the Deadline -- albeit without sacrificing many of the young players he acquired during last year’s sell-off.

Can the Brewers acquire enough rotation help?

Milwaukee has been in first place in the NL Central every day since May 9, using a solid offense and superb bullpen (which should get Devin Williams back before August) to cover up its rotation issues. The Brewers have been without Brandon Woodruff all season and have lost both Wade Miley and Robert Gasser for the season, while DL Hall is still out with a knee injury, Joe Ross isn’t expected back until late July, and Jakob Junis is working his arm back into shape out of the bullpen.

As it currently stands, Milwaukee’s rotation is topped by Freddy Peralta, Colin Rea, Tobias Myers and Bryse Wilson, while the Brewers acquired Dallas Keuchel this week to fill the final spot. That’s unlikely to be enough to cover the innings they’ll need from the rotation, so will GM Matt Arnold look outside for help? The Brewers aren’t usually in position to add much payroll, but trade candidates such as Jack Flaherty, Erick Fedde and Cal Quantrill could make sense.

Will the Marlins trade Jazz Chisholm Jr.?

Miami joins the White Sox, Angels, Athletics and Rockies as the league’s only locked-in sellers to this point, with impending free agents Tanner Scott and Josh Bell representing the two most likely players to be on the move. But what about players under control beyond 2024?

Jesus Lúzardo has been a popular name on the rumor mill, but a back injury will likely sideline the lefty through the Deadline, making it far less likely that he will be dealt given his two additional years of arbitration eligibility. That leaves Chisholm, who is also under control through 2026, as the Marlins’ most intriguing trade candidate. The center fielder has heated up in recent weeks, and given the number of clubs seeking outfield help, Chisholm could bring back a nice return for the Marlins if they decide to move him.

Can the Cubs win enough to justify buying?

A sub-.500 record and negative run differential are typically enough to foreshadow a July seller, but this year’s NL Wild Card race has complicated matters. The Cubs entered the weekend at 38-44, leaving them four games out of a postseason spot. The NL Central might be out of reach -- Chicago is 10 1/2 games behind Milwaukee as of Friday -- but one hot streak could change the way president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer views the Deadline.

The rotation has been hit by injuries (Javier Assad, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks), the bullpen has had a number of issues and the offense has been in the lower third of the NL, so there are certainly areas for Chicago to address if the club decides to buy. But the Cubs are teetering on the line of the first CBT threshold, so Hoyer and ownership must decide whether it makes sense to surpass that line with a club that currently holds the third-worst record in the NL.

Will the Padres go all in … again?

San Diego has been a buyer all year, trading for Dylan Cease during Spring Training, then making a big move for Luis Arraez in early May. Michael King and Matt Waldron have been solid behind Cease, but Yu Darvish has been out since late May with a groin injury (and, more recently, elbow inflammation) and Joe Musgrove has been on the IL since then, too. With no firm timetable on either’s return, relying on Darvish and/or Musgrove is a risky proposition.

General manager A.J. Preller has never been shy about going after what he feels the Padres need -- remember the Juan Soto deal? -- but after using a number of his top prospects to acquire Cease and Arraez, does he have enough left to make a big move if one presents itself? San Diego currently has four Top 100 prospects -- catcher Ethan Salas (No. 4), left-hander Robby Snelling (No. 24), right-hander Dylan Lesko (No. 68) and shortstop Leodalis De Vries (No. 78) -- but is there an arm available that would prompt Preller to move anyone from that quartet? The Padres are also unlikely to take on any big salaries, as they’re believed to be trying to stay below the CBT threshold.

Can the Giants stay afloat until their pitching reinforcements arrive?

San Francisco’s rotation currently features only three traditional starters: Logan Webb, Jordan Hicks and newly promoted prospect Hayden Birdsong. But the Giants are expected to get Blake Snell, Kyle Harrison, Robbie Ray, Alex Cobb and Keaton Winn back from the injured list at some point, providing a huge boost to the starting staff. Will they still be in the playoff race by the time that help arrives?

The Giants could use some middle-infield help, and although Mike Yastrzemski doesn’t believe his oblique strain will keep him out very long, adding an outfield bat would help the lineup, too. San Francisco’s sub-.500 record and negative run differential would indicate that the Giants need to improve in a few areas to boost their postseason odds, but how they fare in the next few weeks will determine how much those returning arms will actually impact the playoff race.