Phillies Mailbag: Breaking Down the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline

The 2026 MLB Trade Deadline has come and gone.  The Phillies made several moves, including adding a three-time batting champion.  We take your questions as the dust settles from a busy trade deadline.

Did the Phillies do enough this trade deadline?
~Rich

I think that the Phillies made a lot of really nice moves in the time leading up to yesterday's 6:00 p.m. trade deadline.  However, it feels pretty incomplete to me.  There is one move that I think the Phillies did not make that puts them at risk.

They did not acquire a starting pitcher.

Jayson Stark of The Athletic had been reporting that the Phillies were looking to acquire a starting pitcher that they could start in a playoff game.

Instead, they acquired no starter at all.

My gut tells me that maybe the Phillies were in on someone like Casey Mize, who was not traded by the Detroit Tigers until the very last moments before the deadline.  The San Diego Padres landed Mize, and if the Phillies were in until the end, there was no time to do anything else.

Bob Nightengale had them in on Robbie Ray, too.

I'll say this: the Phillies will be fine in the playoffs if they have the starters that they have right now.

Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, and Jesus Luzardo have them competing with anyone.  Someone, probably Aaron Nola has to take the ball when a fourth starter is needed.  And a fifth starter is not needed.

My concern is if there is an injury.  Last season, Wheeler went out and there was no option to replace him, except signing a pitcher who was cut from another team.  Waiver trades are not allowed anymore.

So the Phillies are essentially one injury away from the fifth starter spot right now - which could be Andrew Painter or Alan Rangel or Brian Keller, or Kolby Allard for all we know.

It could work out just fine, but I'm very nervous for them about not having depth.

Everyone said that the Phillies needed a right-handed bat at the deadline.  Why did the Phillies go get a left-handed bat?
~Tony

The Phillies added second baseman Luis Arraez in a trade with the San Francisco Giants.  Arraez was arguably the best available bat for trade in all of baseball.  The Phillies were able to land him.

But yes, he does bat left-handed.  However, I do not think that is a worry.

Arraez is a three-time batting champion and he hits lefties and righties alike.  He makes a ton of contact, and has struck out just 21 times all season.  For reference, Bryce Harper has struck out 102 times.

So the team with the worst on base percentage in all of baseball will do much better at the plate.

The only thing that concerns me here is the defense.  Harper is headed back to right field, where he played for the Phillies from 2019 through his injury in 2022.  There will be a learning curve, but overall that does not concern me too much.

What does is that two other positions are going to be disrupted in order for this to happen.

The best fielder in their infield is leaving second base to accommodate Arraez.  With Bryson Stott headed to third base, then Alec Bohm plays first base.

I actually think Bohm plays first base just fine.  That does not concern me at all.

The fielder having the worst season is Trea Turner.  He will have to learn how to turn double plays with a second baseman who is inferior to Stott at the position.

I would have really loved for Arraez to play first base, where he started for the San Diego Padres last season.  Perhaps the Phillies just wanted to talk to him when he joined the club and that will still happen.

But the Phillies offense improved greatly with this move, no matter what side of the plate he hits.

Is the Phillies bullpen good enough with Raley and Killian?
~Brad

The Phillies added the left-handed reliever that they sorely needed in Brooks Raley.  It's fitting he is wearing number 30, most recently worn by David Robertson, as the 38 year-old will be the oldest member of the Phillies relief corps.  In his time with the New York Mets, he has been most effective.

Adding Raley is a really nice move.

I think the jury is out on how Caleb Killian will do.  This is Killian's first full season in the majors, after cups of coffee in three different seasons with the Chicago Cubs. He had a really strong April, followed by a tough May, and the results were not necessarily great in June and July.

I think he will be better than Seth Johnson, who headed to the Athletics in another deadline deal.  But is he able to replace what Brad Keller was supposed to be?  I doubt it.

I think that the emergence of Jonathan Bowlan is going to be what determines if this Phillies bullpen works.  Jose Alvarado also needs to continue to get outs.  July was Alvarado's worst month.

I will say this about the bullpen: In a playoff game, the Phillies need to bridge one of their talented starters and Jhoan Duran.  Can the best arms in the bullpen do that?  I think they could.

They just need to get to the playoffs.