Phillies Should Target These Three Players Ahead of MLB Trade Deadline

Who should the Philadelphia Phillies target ahead of the trade deadline?

Apr 10, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski before game against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies will enter Sunday Night Baseball on their best stretch of the season.

Following some alarming struggles during the middle of April, this version of the Phillies is what everyone anticipated coming into the year, getting dominant pitching from their starting rotation that's coupled with a lethal offense

Much of the damage has been done while Bryce Harper has been in a slump, a scary thought for the rest of the league. And after he hit a huge homer on Saturday that sparked a win for Philadelphia, there's a chance he's starting to turn the corner at the plate.

When that happens, there's no doubt the Phillies will be a playoff team.

Despite some of the holes on the roster, there is too much talent for them not to be one of the six National League clubs that are playing in October.

With that in mind, Dave Dombrowski and the front office can start circling some targets they want to pursue ahead of the trade deadline.

These three players below should strongly be considered by Philadelphia.

Ryan Helsley

The star closer for the St. Louis Cardinals would solve a lot of issues for this Phillies team.

Despite the relief staff performing better as of late, they still entered play on Sunday with the eighth-worst ERA in the MLB (4.73), not a good sign for a team that wants to win a World Series.

Helsley has been a dominant reliever starting in 2022 when he was selected to the All-Star Game and finished with a 1.25 ERA. Prior to the 2025 season, he has posted three straight campaigns with an ERA under 3.00, and his current number is at 3.21.

Adding him would shore up the relief staff, moving Jose Alvarado into his previous Swiss Army role where he can be deployed in any high-leverage situation while still keeping a shutdown ninth inning man available.

Price will be a major thing in negotiations here since it's already been reported that Philadelphia won't move any of their star prospects, but he's a free agent after the year, which could reduce the cost.

Pete Fairbanks

This would be a trade for another closer.

Fairbanks has been excellent in that role since taking over in a full-time capacity during the 2023 season, going 56-for-64 on save opportunities with a 2.86 ERA.

The Tampa Bay Rays don't seem like they're going to be contenders this season, and even though the right-hander has a $7 million club option for the 2026 campaign that they could decline, they likely would prefer to get something back in return for him.

Like Helsley, Fairbanks would be a huge boost for this Phillies bullpen.

Josh Bell

The slugger has had a horrendous start to the season.

He's slashing .134/.226/.286 while striking out 22.5% of the time, the highest rate of his career since the 2020 campaign.

However, Bell has been an above average hitter throughout his time in The Show with an OPS+ and wRC+ of 112 and 111, respectively.

Trading for the 10-year veteran in a deal with the Washington Nationals would be a risky endeavor since some sort of compensation package would be sent to a division rival and there's no guarantee he will turn things around.

But, Bell is not a stranger to deadline deals and performing at a high level after he's been dealt.

In 2023, after posting an OPS+ of 93 with the Cleveland Guardians, his OPS+ was 114 with the Miami Marlins where he had the same number of home runs (11) in 53 games than he had in the 97 contests prior.

One year later, Bell raised his OPS+ to 124 with the Arizona Diamondbacks after being shipped out by the Marlins when his OPS+ was 90, keeping his home run rate the same while also increasing his hard hit percentage.

With Philadelphia, that could happen this time around, too.

Adding him to the mix as a bench bat with his ability to switch hit could be a major weapon if he starts to turn things around, and with a just a $6 million salary and an impending free agency coming after the season, then he wouldn't cost a lot to acquire.