Phillies Named Best Landing Spot for Guardians Pitcher at MLB Trade Deadline

The Philadelphia Phillies were certainly happy the All-Star break came when it did, giving the coaching staff and players a few days to rest up and reset.

They won their final game of the first half, 2-1 over the San Diego Padres, but lost four out of five heading into that contest.

That puts their record at 55-41, only a half-game ahead of the New York Mets for first place in the National League East.

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The Phillies know if they want to hold onto that spot and improve their odds of making a deep run in the postseason, they will have to make some moves ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline.

Their most pressing need right now is to find an upgrade for the backend of their bullpen.

The offseason losses of Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez have hurt. Add on top of that closer Jose Alvarado being handed an 80-game suspension and being ineligible for the postseason, and Philadelphia has a real problem on its hands.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has said he will right the wrongs from the offseason, with the decisions made to address the bullpen falling woefully short.

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Expect the Phillies to be aggressive seeking out upgrades for their relief pitching staff, adding at least one, if not two arms to the mix.

Who could they look to acquire?

Keep an eye on Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report selected Philadelphia as the best landing spot for the star closer in a trade.

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“The bullpen has been a consistent issue for the Phillies the past several seasons, and swinging a deal for a controllable, proven ninth-inning option who can anchor the relief corps for the next several years should be their top deadline priority,” he wrote.

Outside of 2024, the bullpen has been a longstanding issue for Philadelphia.

Adding a player of Clase’s caliber to anchor the unit would put a lot of those woes to rest, since he is one of the best in the business.

He was plagued by a slow start in 2025 but has gotten things back on track since the beginning of June with a 1.20 ERA and 0.90 WHIP, converting 15 out of 17 save chances.

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Coming into this year, he has led the American League in saves three consecutive campaigns and the entire MLB twice in that span.

Clase doesn’t walk batters and has done a wonderful job throughout his career limiting damage, with a 0.4 HR/9 ratio.

Adding him could be the missing piece for the Phillies.

It won’t be cheap, but if they feel Clase moves them closer to winning a World Series, Philadelphia needs to pull the trigger on a deal.

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