Phillies Front Office Has Delicate Balancing Act To Do Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline

The Philadelphia Phillies are one of the teams who are surefire buyers ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

They are locked in a battle with the New York Mets for the top spot in the American League East, currently a half-game ahead entering play on July 21. There is still a chance for them to earn the No. 1 seed in the NL as well for the playoffs.

With just 10 days until the MLB trade deadline, the front office knows what it has to do to put the team in the best position possible to contend for a World Series.

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The outfield situation remains a bit messy, ideally on the lookout for a right-handed hitter they can platoon with Max Kepler in left field. It's a role Otto Kemp currently holds.

The most pressing need for this team though is bullpen help.

They need to land an upgrade for the backend, especially with close Jose Alvarado ineligible for the postseason.

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Alas, this is where things get tricky.

The need to address is clear, but how aggressive can Dave Dombrowski and company afford to be in seeking up such an upgrade?

“But how much? And at what cost? The Phillies need a stud, late-inning reliever, preferably right-handed. But they could use two relievers to help a shaky bullpen. Are the Phils willing to trade one or more of their top prospects to make it happen?” wrote Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

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Landing a closer the quality of Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians or Felix Bautista of the Baltimore Orioles would certainly put manager Rob Thomson at ease late in games.

But, there are questions about just how available each of those players are and reaching the exorbitant price tag they are sure to carry.

Philadelphia could certainly dip into their farm system depth, building a package around players not as highly regarded as starting pitcher Andrew Painter, shortstop Aidan Miller or center fielder Justin Crawford.

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It's what the Phillies did ahead of last year’s deadline when they acquired Carlos Estevez from the Los Angeles Angels, but they learned the hard way results aren’t guaranteed when doing that.

“Of course, a big trade doesn’t guarantee anything and that’s a risk the Phils’ front office must weigh: Mortgage the future for something that’s far from guaranteed or not?” Zolecki added.

A trade is almost certainly going to happen between now and the July 31 deadline for Philadelphia. It is just a matter of how big an acquisition the squad makes.

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