4 big questions for Phils ahead of Deadline

This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki’s Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Dave Dombrowski offered enough hints last week to give Phillies fans a sense of what he might do before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.

You can bet he will do something.

But what exactly? Will it be big? Small?

We tried to answer a few questions you might have about the Trade Deadline:

1. How badly do they need a right-handed bat?
The Phillies miss Rhys Hoskins, so, yes, they could use another right-handed hitter.

They entered Wednesday with a .747 OPS against left-handers, which ranks 15th in baseball, compared to a .769 OPS last season, which ranked fifth. There are a few right-handed-hitting outfielders who could help: Lane Thomas, Randal Grichuk, Tommy Pham, Adam Duvall and Teoscar Hernández are a few. Cody Bellinger might be the most exciting outfielder available. He hits left-handed, but he has a 1.056 OPS against lefties, compared to an .825 OPS against righties.

Really, though, the Phillies need their stars to hit more consistently down the stretch. If that happens, a right-handed-hitting outfielder is a luxury more than it is a necessity. Rob Thomson’s lineup on Tuesday had Brandon Marsh in left field and Johan Rojas in center field. Both Marsh and Rojas made nice plays in in the field. They also had a pair of hits to score a run in the third. Something like that could work offensively and defensively, if the top of the lineup is producing.

2. How bad do they need a starting pitcher?
Nobody likes paying for insurance until something bad happens. Cristopher Sánchez has a 2.61 ERA in seven starts since he became the Phillies’ No. 5 starter. He pitched a career-high seven innings Monday against the Orioles. If the Phillies know Sánchez will pitch like this the rest of the season, if they know nobody will get hurt, they can save their prospects and move forward with what they have. But they don’t. Remember last season, when Zach Eflin missed more than two months because of a knee injury and Zack Wheeler missed almost a month because of an injured elbow? If a pitcher or two goes down, it could be catastrophic.

Does somebody like Marcus Stroman or Lucas Giolito make sense? Asked if the Phillies think they need a starter who can start a postseason game (i.e. not just another No. 5 starter), Dombrowski said, “I don't think there’s the need. But I also don’t think you ever close anything up at this time of year.”

3. Will the Phillies trade top prospects to make a splash?
Last July, Dombrowski was asked if the Phillies might be interested in a generational talent (i.e. Juan Soto).

“To strip the depth of our talent to add a generational talent -- whomever you may be talking about -- I don’t know that is where we sit at this point,” Dombrowski said.

Last week, Dombrowski was asked the same question. How big is he willing to go?

“You’re never looking to trade your top prospects,” he said. “But I can’t also tell you that anytime somebody drops something on your lap that you can’t say no. But I think I've probably said enough.”

If you like to read the tea leaves, then it appears Dombrowski’s tone has changed. He is open to the possibility of trading top prospects. But is there anybody available (not Shohei Ohtani or Soto) that you would trade Mick Abel or Justin Crawford for? Remember, most top trade targets are free agents after the season. It might make more sense for the Phillies to do what they did last year, when they made incremental upgrades -- Marsh, David Robertson, Noah Syndergaard and Edmundo Sosa. It worked well.

4. Could they make any other moves?
For the first time in a long time, the Phillies are not desperate for relief pitching. But if the Phillies fall short in the starting pitching market, they can always pivot to the bullpen. (Or they could just do both.) José Alvarado has been on the IL twice this season with left elbow inflammation. Seranthony Domínguez just rejoined the bullpen on Tuesday.

Another impact arm would provide insurance if somebody got hurt.

Sosa was an under-the-radar move at last year’s Deadline. Maybe the Phillies look for a bat to shore up the bench, too.