Phillies audition without Harper, Schwarber proves trade deadline urgency

The Philadelphia Phillies are 54-29, running atop the National League with the best overall record in baseball. There's not much to complain about on the surface. Philadelphia has the best pitching staff in the league and an explosive offense, helmed — when healthy — by the arguable MVP frontrunner in Bryce Harper.

The "when healthy" qualifier is especially noteworthy nowadays, however. Both Harper and DH Kyle Schwarber were recently placed on the 10-day IL, temporarily ridding Philadelphia of its two best power hitters. Harper is expected back before the All-Star break, but hamstring issues are notoriously tricky.

In two games without Harper and Schwarbs in the lineup — both against the lowly Miami Marlins, arguably the worst all-around team in baseball — the Phillies have scored a combined four runs on 12 hits. Philadelphia managed to win one of those outings behind a complete-game shutout from Cristopher Sanchez, but as good as the Phillies' pitchers are, that won't happen very often. The offense needs a boost.

It's not necessarily time for the Phils to panic. Again, Harper and Schwarber (sidelined with a "mild" groin strain) are expected back sooner than later. But, Philadelphia should heed this warning. Injuries can strike at any time, and this isn't the youngest roster. Now more than ever, Dave Dombrowski has every incentive to operate aggressively at the trade deadline.

Phillies' sluggish offense without Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber should inform trade deadline strategy

Philadelphia has also been without J.T. Realmuto for the last few weeks, so the hits have piled up a bit. There is a silver lining: the Phils haven't completely fallen apart and it's better to go through injury bouts now, instead of October. That said, we often learn a team's true colors when injuries start to accumulate. The Phillies' starting lineup is one of the MLB's best, but Philadelphia is lacking in the depth department.

All-Star utilityman Whit Merrifield hasn't quite lived up to expectations. Johan Rojas has bounced between MLB and AAA in recent weeks due to his lack of offense. Brandon Marsh still can't hit lefties very well. Philadelphia has cycled through Cristian Pache, Kody Simmons, David Dahl and the like. None of them should be relied on in high-stakes situations. And, lest we forget, Garrett Stubbs continues to earn his reputation as an elite vibes guy and one of the worst backup catchers in baseball, a challenging dichotomy for fans to navigate.

Firepower in the outfield was a need before these injuries. The Phillies have been connected to names like Luis Robert Jr., Tommy Pham, or even Marlins centerfielder Jazz Chisholm. Now more than ever, a big swing on the trade front — ideally for an outfielder who can supply big swings at the plate — feels like a necessity.

Philadelphia has a good-not-great farm system, but Dombrowski has never been afraid to push all his chips in. The Phils often back up their aggression on the financial front, too. While dozens of pitchers changed teams last offseason, Philadelphia re-signed Aaron Nola. The Phillies have since hammered out an early extension for Sanchez, too, which he has reciprocated with more Cy Young-level production on the mound.

If the Phillies pull off a trade, we can reasonably expect the Phillies to pay said acquisition his due price in free agency — whenever that date arrives. Players on the level of Robert and Chisholm are going to demand major extensions down the line, which Philadelphia can stomach better than most teams around the league.

It's time for the Phils to get aggressive. The deeper the roster, the clearer Philadelphia's path to the World Series gets.