The Philadelphia Phillies’ trade deadline was simultaneously bold and underwhelming. Dave Dombrowski added arguably the most impactful bat available in Luis Arráez, who now leads their lineup — by a comfortable margin — with 3.9 wins above replacement, or fWAR. He also left a paper-thin rotation paper-thin and failed to add the right-handed power their lineup so plainly lacks.
In the process of adding Arráez, the Phillies completely flipped their defensive arrangement. Bryson Stott moved to third base, Alec Bohm moved to first base and, in a risky but admirable gambit, Bryce Harper moved to right field. The Phillies’ two-game lead over San Diego for the National League’s final Wild Card spot feels awfully precarious. Philly fans wanted the front office to go further at the deadline. Here are a couple changes and additions the Phils can still make to punch their postseason ticket.
Bench Alec Bohm and move Bryce Harper back to 1B
Bryce Harper’s willingness to move to right field is a real credit to his selflessness and desire to win. It is also a confounding misallocation of on-field resources. Why is Harper, who’s hard-pressed to defend first base well at his age, taking on the additional injury risk that comes with playing in the outfield, where he will almost certainly grade among the worst defenders in MLB down the stretch?
The Phillies should end the experiment swiftly and put Harper back at first base. It’s as simple as benching Alec Bohm. Philadelphia’s enduring commitment to Bohm, who’s in the middle of his worst offensive campaign to date, is utterly mystifying. He has done nothing to earn his spot in the lineup, with a .642 OPS and 75 wRC+. Bohm, a soft-hit groundball machine, batting fifth in the lineup behind Luis Arráez, where a ton of his at-bats come with runners in scoring position, makes even less sense.
Bohm’s -0.3 fWAR is the worst on the Phillies roster. He is a sub-replacement-level player right now. He’s 30 years old and in the final year of his contract. The opportunity for him to “figure it out” and fulfill his promise as a former No. 3 overall pick has long since expired.
Philadelphia should bench — and arguably DFA — Bohm and return Harper to a more suitable position at first base.
Move Derek Hill to center field on full-time basis
Benching Bohm and moving Harper back to the infield helps shore up the Phillies’ defense and allows them to start Derek Hill full-time in center field. Hill has been a godsend ever since Philly acquired him earlier this season, with a .814 OPS and five home runs in 76 plate appearances with the team. He’s under club control through 2028, too, so this was a long-term investment for the Phillies. This is a chance to establish a sustainable path forward in the outfield.
With Hill in center field, the Phillies can still ride the hot hand and bank on Justin Crawford’s continued improvement in left field. Meanwhile, Brandon Marsh can slide over to right field, where his range and arm strength should play nicely on a full-time basis. Bryan De La Cruz, with his pleasantly surprising 1.243 OPS since joining the club, can serve as a right-handed platoon option in either corner spot.
Hill was brought in as a platoon option, but he has comparable splits against righties and lefties. He is probably Philadelphia’s most bankable everyday outfielder, as sad as that sounds, buoyed by phenomenal defense.
It’s difficult to overstate just how much better Hill is in every facet than Bohm. Essentially swapping them out in the lineup is enough to meaningfully improve the Phillies’ outlook.
Phillies can DFA Edmundo Sosa, sign SS Jorge Mateo and RHP Zack Littell
The Phillies should be active in the DFA and waiver market. It’s rare to find a true needle-mover in mid-August — there’s a reason these players weren’t traded for actual assets a week ago — but Philadelphia should take every opportunity for even marginal upgrades.
De La Cruz has faired well enough in limited exposure and brought great energy to the clubhouse, so the Phillies are understandably bullish on him as their primary right-handed platoon bat in the outfield.
That said, Edmundo Sosa has completely fallen off a cliff offensively in a contract year. He has a .572 OPS and 57 wRC+, with -0.2 fWAR. Jorge Mateo, whom Atlanta DFA’d to create space for a healthy Ha-seong Kim, has better numbers across the board. He has a .685 OPS and 82 wRC+, with 0.5 fWAR. Mateo started 34 games at shortstop for the Braves and did a fine job. He’s a legitimate plus defender, which the Phillies need more of given the dire state of affairs with their current infield defense.
Mateo can fill the same gaps as Sosa, popping all over the infield and occasionally foraying into left field, while presenting the Phillies with a better option offensively. It’s not a massive upgrade, but it’s enough of an upgrade to warrant a roll of the dice.
To round out their late-season facelift, the Phillies can sign Zack Littell. The veteran right-hander has struggled all season in Washington, with a 4.97 ERA across 23 appearances (14 starts), recording 70 strikeouts in 112.1 innings. Still, Littell is a durable innings-eater who can provide some valuable depth, as Philly’s fallback options if any of the current rotation members get hurt are nonexistent.
Littell shouldn’t necessarily replace Andrew Painter from the jump, as Philly’s No. 1 prospect has looked much sharper since his most recent call-up. That said, the Phillies can put Littell in Triple-A, call him up when rosters expand in September (or sooner, if injuries demand it) and just see if the 30-year-old locates a bit more gas in the tank.
