Phillies target a local product who won't solve their Taijuan Walker problem

The Philadelphia Phillies have the best record in all of baseball, so there's little to pick apart with this team. However, every fanbase has complaints, and Phillies fans would rather see Taijuan Walker left in London.

The Phillies have an internal replacement lined up in Spencer Turnbull, who has a no-hitter to his name back when he pitched with the Detroit Tigers. Nonetheless, manager Rob Thomson isn't ready to mess with the starting rotation just yet.

"Why not? Because I trust him," Thomson said. "He's got to command better. Hopefully, along the way, he gains some velo. We saw it tick up a couple of starts ago and now it's come back down. I'm sure he'll get there. But he's got to command the baseball, he's got to keep it down, he's got to get the split down."

The Phillies owe Walker a lot of money, and he tends to thrive in the summer months. Thomson has earned the benefit of the doubt, even though the Phillies rabid fanbase is desperate for something, anything to complain about these days. Don't worry, Philadelphia, help is on the way -- just not in the form of a fifth starting pitcher.

Phillies are interested in local product Jake McCarthy to boost their outfield

The Phillies will be buyers at the trade deadline, and it's no secret they desire a left-handed hitting outfielder. This is where McCarthy comes in, as the Diamondbacks outfielder is just 26 years old and slashes .268/.354/.370 on the year with a .724 OPS. McCarthy can slot in at either corner outfield position, but is primarily a right fielder for Arizona.

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Phillies already have their eye on McCarthy.

Of course, the only conflict with the Phillies plan is that Arizona remains alive in the NL Wild Card race. At 30-35, Arizona is just two games out of the final Wild Card spot and has vastly underperformed so far this season. Heck, if any team is used to coming from behind and making a postseason run, it's these D'Backs, who did just that last season to make the World Series. Arizona even defeated the Phillies in the process.

McCarthy, who is from Scranton, PA, would be a tremendous add for the Phillies if he becomes available. He's also under contract through the 2030 season, so he will not come cheap for Dave Dombrowski and Co.