Jazz Chisholm dominance highlights Dave Dombrowski’s biggest trade deadline miss

The Philadelphia Phillies are officially in the Panic Zone. Swept by the New York Yankees and 3-9 since the All-Star break, the first-place team in the National League feels more vulnerable than ever. This is probably a momentary slump — Bryce Harper and Trea Turner are batting well below their usual standards — but all the same, it does shine a light on the roster's weak points.

Nobody can say Dave Dombrowski wasn't active leading up to the trade deadline. He engineered three trades, adding Austin Hays in left field and two relievers in Carlos Estevez (a new closer) and Tanner Banks (not to be confused with Tanner Scott). Each trade should (or has) paid immediate dividends, but the more anxious members of the fanbase are convinced that Dombrowski didn't do enough.

The bullpen will be fine. The Phillies didn't need another starting pitcher. The real point of emphasis for Philadelphia should have been strengthening a weak outfield depth chart. Hays is excellent against left-handed pitching. In theory, he was exactly what the Phillies needed for a Brandon Marsh platoon partner in left field.

Alas, Philadelphia has pegged Hays as the full-time left fielder, instead toggling between Marsh and Johan Rojas in center. That just moves the problem to a new position. The Phillies, in reality, needed two outfield bats. One to platoon with Marsh, and one to eliminate their reliance on Rojas, who can't hit MLB pitching yet.

Rob Thomson floated a Marsh-Rojas platoon, with the latter facing lefties. Rojas has a .403 OPS against lefties, so that is possibly the worst right-handed platoon bat in the majors. Most platoons are at least replacement-level at their assigned strength.

A popular hypothetical target before the deadline was Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the Miami Marlins. The Phillies are certainly familiar with Chisholm, who has spent his entire career in the same division. However, ambiguous concerns, as cited by Jim Bowden of The Athletic, caused the Phillies to look at other options.

Chisholm ended up with the Yankees. He just raked four home runs in three games against the Phils.

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Phillies should've made a run at Jazz Chisholm Jr. before the trade deadline

Chisholm will cool off eventually. He's not suddenly the greatest power threat in the league. One of those home runs was off of Garrett Stubbs. But, the talent has long been evident with Chisholm. He was stuck in a rotten situation with a perpetually bottom-dwelling Marlins squad. He butted heads with veterans, earned a bit of a lazy reputation for his "antics," and never quite followed up his impressive 2022 All-Star campaign.

Lo and behold, Chisholm is dealt to an established contender with a winning culture, multiple supportive vets, a great fandom, and he looks fantastic. Chisholm is playing to the crowds, soaking up the spotlight, and bringing some much-needed juice to the Yankees dugout.

Some will roll their eyes at Chisholm's celebrations and criticize his exuberant expressions in the field, but they hate fun. This dude is learning third base on the fly to help his team. We gave Mookie Betts all sorts of credit for picking up shortstop over the winter. Why aren't we seeing those storylines with Chisholm?

Chisholm is fun. He's a major talent, stressing defenses on the base paths, hammering moonshots on a semi-regular basis, and celebrating his successes as they come. Sure, maybe there were maturity issues for Chisholm to overcome in Miami, but that is not unique to him. All young players need to learn their way on the big-league stage.

Please watch Chisholm's highlights from the last few games and tell me he wouldn't play beautifully in front of a packed Citizens Bank Park — in the home team colors. We have to think outside the box sometimes. Folks were worried about Chisholm's ability to fit into a tight, "veteran" locker room. Have you watched the Phillies? This team loves to celebrate together and goof around. Chisholm would've been right at home, and he would've been one heck of an offensive upgrade over Johan Rojas.

Count this as a missed opportunity for the Phils.