Phillies Eyeing To Make Second Trade With SF Giants for Pitcher

The Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants may make a second trade ahead of the deadline.

Jun 1, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; San Francisco Giants hat and glove on the ledge of the dugout against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies have been very active in the final hours ahead of the MLB trade deadline, already completing two trades.

One of those deals was with the New York Mets, bringing in left-handed relief pitcher Brooks Raley to upgrade the bullpen. In the other deal, the Phillies acquired second baseman Luis Arraez and right-handed relief pitcher Caleb Kilian.

Philadelphia had several areas on its roster it was looking to improve, and thus far has addressed some of the biggest. The lineup is better with Arraez, and the bridge to All-Star closer Jhoan Duran is upgraded with Kilian and Raley.

However, there is still one thing on the team’s checklist: acquiring a starting pitcher. The Phillies are not done wheeling and dealing, and could turn back to the Giants to make a second trade.

Phillies could look to make second trade with Giants for Robbie Ray

Jul 30, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Robbie Ray (38) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As shared by Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports, Philadelphia has San Francisco veteran starting pitcher Robbie Ray on their radar.

He would be a massive upgrade for the backend of the rotation behind Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo. The last time the Phillies won a game started by anyone other than those three was June 24.

Aaron Nola has looked better in recent starts, but the No. 5 spot in the rotation has been a black hole all season. Andrew Painter performed well in his return to the rotation after a few weeks with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, but the plan all along has reportedly been to bring in another starting pitcher.

Rotation help was referred to as the team’s top priority even after Painter threw six effective innings against the Baltimore Orioles. Ray, the American League Cy Young Award winner in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays, would be a true difference-maker to round out the rotation.

San Francisco Giants veteran starter Robbie Ray is also on the Phillies' radar after already pulling off one big trade together.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 3, 2026

He has been reliable and productive in 2026, making 22 appearances and throwing 122.2 innings with a 3.08 ERA and ERA+ of 129. A 10-6 record has been compiled along with 2.0 bWAR.

Ray would provide Philadelphia with exactly what it is looking for in the rotation. Not only can he eat innings down the stretch of the regular season, but he would be a legitimate option to start games in the postseason.

It would provide interim manager Don Mattingly some maneuverability once October baseball rolls around and some relief knowing the rotation is settled beyond his Big 3 for the first time, basically all year.

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