The Philadelphia Phillies made a couple noteworthy moves at the trade deadline, acquiring RHP Jhoan Durán and OF Harrison Bader in separate deals with the Minnesota Twins. Both should impact Philly straight away as this team prepares to push deep into October.
That said, it's also fair to wonder if the Phillies did enough. Team president Dave Dombrowski has built his reputation on ambitious, all-out gambles, but his last few trade deadlines have left fans a bit unsatisfied. It's not hard to see the parallels between Durán and Bader this summer and Carlos Estévez and Austin Hays last summer.
Now, Durán and Bader are better than Estévez and Hays. But there are similarities in that Philadelphia probably could've addressed the bullpen and the outfield more thoroughly. Here are a few mistakes Dombrowski and the Phils will regret once the postseason rolls around.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
3. Phillies whiffed on UTL Willi Castro
While the Phillies were plundering the Twins fire sale, a call on Willi Castro was worthwhile. The talented utilityman wound up in Chicago, in direct opposition of Philadelphia's postseason goals. While Castro might not be an everyday player for the Phils, he can line up all over the diamond defensively. That flexibility alone would've made him substantially valuable on a regular basis.
Hitting .245 with a .743 OPS and 10 home runs in 302 at-bats this season, Castro would have immediately become one of Philly's most productive options in the outfield. With Max Kepler still drawing starts after an abysmal first half of the campaign, Phillies fans are coming to the realization that Dombrowski probably didn't solve all of their outfield woes with the Bader trade. Shocking, I know.
Castro can also handle reps at third or second base, giving the Phillies an alternative to Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott, should either struggle in the playoffs. Bohm was benched last October and has struggled to regain his All-Star form all season. Philly also has Edmundo Sosa for infield platoon duties, but Castro plugs so many holes and is thus one of the more underrated pieces to be moved on Thursday afternoon.
2. Phillies needed one more high-leverage bullpen arm
Jhoan Durán was pretty much the dream addition for Philadelphia at the trade deadline. While Mason Miller was moved after all, it required a top-3 prospect in MLB from the Padres. Not a top-3 Padres prospect, a top-3 MLB prospect in Leo De Vries. The Phils paid a lot for Durán — their Nos. 4 and 6 prospects in C Eduardo Tait and RHP Mick Abel — but Durán is a knockout closer with two more years of team control left, so it was a price worth paying.
That said, the Phillies really needed one more high-leverage arm to really feel good about this bullpen. The Mets stockpiled bullpen arms left and right, which will only raise concerns about Philly's pitching depth. Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm are excellent setup options, but José Alvarado is ineligible for the playoffs and Jordan Romano isn't what he once was. The Phils are a bit thin outside their few bullpen heavyweights.
Plenty of bullpens arms were moved on Thursday, as expected. While the Phillies weren't going to ring up the price on guys like Miller or Ryan Helsley, a phone call for Arizona's Shelby Miller (now in Milwaukee) or St. Louis' Phil Maton (now in Queens, New York) might've been smart.
1. Phillies may regret bowing out of Eugenio Suárez sweepstakes
The Phillies were late to the party on Eugenio Suárez after the Alec Bohm injury, but there was real momentum toward a potential deal in the days leading up to the deadline. Ultimately, the Seattle Mariners won the sweepstakes and brought the power-hitting third baseman home, pairing him with fellow home run threat Cal Raleigh in the heart of the lineup.
It's a feel-good story for Suárez and the Mariners, but less so for the Phillies, who are left without a game-changing bat at the deadline. Harrison Bader has been red-hot over the last couple months, but the Phillies aren't even committed to using him every day. Suárez's defensive limitations and positional fit were fair concerns, but even if it meant taking another hit to the corner defense, that bat would've moved mountains for this Phillies offense.
Despite all the big names, Philly's lineup generally lacks power outside of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper right now. Suárez has an impressive .895 OPS with 36 home runs and 85 RBI through 391 at-bats this season. He's a free agent in a few months and the Phillies might've found it hard to pay both Schwarber and Suárez simultaneously, but for a team running out of time to contend with an aging core, that sort of all-in move would've been worth it.