Grading Addition of Brooks Raley for Phillies at MLB Trade Deadline

What grade should the Philadelphia Phillies receive for the addition of Brooks Raley from the New York Mets?

Aug 2, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Brooks Raley (25) delivers a pitch during the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the trade deadline officially here for the Philadelphia Phillies, the team was expected to be busy, and that has certainly been the case. 

Despite some struggles of late, the Phillies are a team that is hoping to be a real contender in the National League, and that is going to be a tall task. At times, Philadelphia has looked like one of the best teams in the league, and other times they have looked like one of the worst. 

Finding consistency in the second half of the year is going to be key for this group, and improving their roster was a need. Philadelphia has become a bit top-heavy in terms of talent, and their goal this summer was to fill out the rest of the roster with some talent. 

The Phillies have been busy early on, and one of the notable additions they made was getting left-handed reliever Brooks Raley from the New York Mets. As a veteran southpaw, he fills a major need for Philadelphia. In the trade, the Phillies sent John Spikerman to New York in exchange for the 38-year-old. 

While this move might not grab a ton of headlines, it is undoubtedly an important one for Philadelphia. Here is a grade for the deal. 

Phillies Grade: A 

Jul 8, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Brooks Raley (25) pitches in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Philadelphia addressing a need for the team, the grade was obviously going to be good. However, the Phillies not only did a nice job in terms of the player that they sent to the Mets, but also that Raley has been a really good pitcher this year. 

So far in 2026, the southpaw has totaled a 5-5 record and 1.96 ERA. While he might not be a big strikeout pitcher, he does a good job keeping hitters off base and has been a really effective pitcher on a bad Mets team. 

While the Phillies will be looking to utilize him against left-handed batters, he has also been good against right-handed hitters as well. So far this season, left-handed hitters have an OPS below .600 against him, and right-handed hitters are below .650. 

With the need for Philadelphia to improve the bullpen, Raley is going to be a solid option not only against lefties, but righties as well. This was a strong move by the Phillies with their division rival and addresses a major need for the team in the bullpen. 

The team will surely be hoping that others for the unit will be able to step up, but this is a group that is much-improved with the addition of Raley.