Did the Phillies Do Enough?
The Trades
Twins Acquire: Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait
Phillies Acquire: Harrison Bader
Twins Acquire: Hendry Mendez and Geremy Villoria
Jhoan Duran Thoughts
What started with an Andrew Painter rumor ended with the Phillies’ other top pitching prospect heading to Minnesota. I can understand the Twins starting with Painter because he is an elite prospect, and Duran is an elite closer. But that deal would make no sense for the Phillies. They were 100% correct not to include him in the deal, or any deal for that matter.
In terms of what the team gave up, you have to be feeling pretty good if you are a Phillies fan. Abel showed some flashes in the bigs, but he doesn’t seem to be a high-end rotation guy if you ask me. Eduardo Tait is the bigger loss. I, like most others, think he will turn into a good MLB player. However, with Tait being only 18 years old, this is a move that screams win now. Tait was the Phillies 9th ranked prospect and they used him to acquire an elite closer.
This is a huge addition for the Phillies, and I can’t wait to watch Duran enter for the 9th at Citizens Bank Park.
Harrison Bader Thoughts
This is a good trade for the Phillies. Not a huge needle mover, but it addresses a need. They are upgrading both outfield play and right-handed hitting. Although Baders’ offensive numbers are nothing to freak out over, he is having a more productive season than the other Phillies left and center fielders. Bader is slashing .258 BA/.339 OBP/.439 SLG, and 4 outfield assists. Compare this to say, Max Kepler: .203 BA/.297 OBP/.357 SLG, and 2 assists.
How they will use Bader is yet to be seen. A lot will hinge on what the team decides to do with Crawford. I wouldn’t mind seeing Bader as the starting CF and Marsh as the starting LF. But if you decided not to move Crawford for say Steven Kwan, why would you not call him up? The other option would be to platoon Marsh and Bader in center while making Crawford your starting left fielder. Whatever the Phillies decided to do, Harrison Bader is a clear upgrade.
Not the flashy, big trade we wanted, but still a really good pick up.
Dave’s Plan
I think the deadline was very telling of what the front office feels about the Phillies’ situation. Going into the deadline, most of Philadelphia wanted the Phillies to add a substantial bat to the lineup. The past few playoff losses would say the Phillies need exactly that.
I could’ve posted a rant minutes after the deadline about how we didn’t do enough. But then I started to think, why did the Phillies do what they did? After the brain fog cleared, it was pretty obvious the route the Phillies went and how they think they can win the World Series.
This all starts with pitching. The front office believes this team will have to ride its starting pitching to a World Series. The moves at the deadline proved this. They will have Aaron Nola back at some point, and he will provide a huge boost if he can return to form. They showed how much they valued pitching by adding closer Jhoan Duran. The Phillies needed to strengthen the back of the bullpen, and they did that.
Then they added Harrison Bader. This was the sign that the Phillies were going to ride pitching to the World Series. Bader is a slight upgrade at the plate, but he will make his biggest impact in the field. By adding a plus defender, the Phillies are going in on the defensive side of their baseball club. His hitting might not save the Phils, but his defense could help our starters save some outs.
Dombrowski did not add a significant bat. The price was most likely too high, and the team wanted to keep hold of Painter, Crawford, and Miller. I don’t think you can blame the front office, but it is certainly frustrating when the bats have not been there in the playoffs. It is clear they still believe in Bohm, Marsh, and Stott. I am not sure this offense is good enough to win the World Series. The cleanup spot is still a huge question. If Bohm and Stott can find any form of consistency and production in the lineup, this deadline will be a huge win for the Phillies.
Overall, this was a great deadline for Dave Dombrowksi. They avoided giving up a top prospect for Duran (although Tait is a big loss), and they upgraded their outfield.
This lineup still has questions, but with star power at the top and elite starting pitchin,g the Phillies have a great shot at the World Series.
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