The 2026 trade deadline won’t save the Phillies any more than the previous ones did
Assuming this year is like every year before it, Dave Dombrowski will be in the market for a right-handed bat that can solve some of the Phillies’ problems. But, then, that’s the hope every year.
A unique thing about a baseball season is that it usually provides a team at least a couple of opportunities to see all the great things that it fails to do with consistency. A 162-game schedule is so vast a sample size that almost every combination of what can go right will manifest at some point. Those moments often lead to victories that provide an opportunity to consider what a team would be like if only the moments weren’t outliers.
So it was on Thursday afternoon, when a trio of Phillies first-round draft picks combined to lift them to a 6-4 win over the Padres. Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, and Justin Crawford each entered the day ranked in the bottom quartile of big league hitters, as measured by OPS. Together, they combined to reach base six times against the Padres while scoring or driving in four of their team’s six runs. It isn’t a coincidence that the Phillies scored more than four runs for the first time in 14 games.
This is what it will need to look like for the Phillies to become the offense their fans yearn for. That’s true from both a short- and long-term view.
» READ MORE: When Jhoan Duran enters, the Phillies feel like ‘the game’s over.’ And he’s been key to their turnaround.
The short term consists of the days between now and the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Assuming this year is like every year before it, Dave Dombrowski will be in the market for a right-handed bat that can solve at least some of the Phillies’ problems. And maybe this will be the year where he goes big in pursuit of a bat big enough to fundamentally alter the Phillies’ outlook. Mike Trout, Byron Buxton — you know the names.
But, then, that’s the hope every year. And even if Dombrowski has his sights on something bigger than Austin Hays or Harrison Bader, that still leaves almost two months to stay afloat.
The long term consists of everything after the deadline, and well after October. An organization cannot survive living trade deadline to trade deadline. It cannot build sustained success through free agency alone.
The Phillies have been better at it than any team can hope. That is partially a function of the value they reaped from Matt Klentak’s acquisitions of Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez. But value plays eventually progress to market rate. The cycle must continue.
Look around the majors. Look at its best offenses. Look at the teams that are meeting or surpassing expectations instead of struggling to stay within arm’s reach. Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio in Milwaukee, Drake Baldwin in Atlanta, Ben Rice with the Yankees, Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez in Seattle, Corbin Carroll in Arizona.
The younger crop of less-proven dynamos includes Sal Stewart (Reds), Konnor Griffin (Pirates), Delco’s Kevin McGonigle (Tigers), and Colt Emerson (Mariners). Look at practically any serious or wannabe serious team and you will find a homegrown player as the source of any vibe shift.
It will need to be the same with the Phillies. At some point, a Bohm or a Stott or a Crawford is going to need to become a star.
The jury remains out on one of the three. It was fitting that Crawford played a starring role on Thursday. At 22 years old, the rookie center fielder has ranked near the top of the Phillies prospect board since they selected him 17th overall out of high school in 2022. He entered 2026 as the roster’s youngest and most unknown commodity, and thus the one reason to hope that the lineup would materially improve. Those hopes rested on visions of days like Thursday.
After doubling in the fifth inning, Crawford led off the seventh with a five-pitch walk. He stole second and took third on an errant throw from home. Two batters later, he crossed the plate with what would prove to be a crucial run. This was precisely the sort of performance Dombrowski envisioned when he penciled in Crawford as the opening day center fielder.
David Murphy alerts
It was a rare blip of sunlight for a Phillies system that has had a rough go of it lately. Earlier this week, the organization announced that blue-chip infield prospect Aidan Miller would miss six to eight weeks to undergo a procedure to address a back injury that has sidelined him since early in big league spring training.
Unlike Crawford and Stott, both of whom were projected more as solid regulars than sure-fire superstars, Miller profiles as the sort of hitter who might give the Phillies lineup new life over the next five years. It now seems highly unlikely that it will be this year.
There is a certain amount of luck involved. Bohm has either been the first- or second-most productive hitter among the top 20 picks in his draft class, depending on how you rank Jonathan India. Widen the sample to the Top 75 players selected that year, and Turang (drafted No. 21 overall) is the only guy close to being a centerpiece star.
The following year, the top 10 included Bobby Witt Jr., CJ Abrams, Shea Langeliers, and Adley Rutschman, as well as 2026 high performers Josh Jung, JJ Bleday, and Andrew Vaughn. The Phillies had pick No. 14 that year.
Of course, the hindsight game cuts a little deeper with Stott in 2019. Two picks after the Phillies took their second baseman, the Diamondbacks selected Carroll.
Second-guessing the draft is low-hanging fruit. Developing talent is a holistic endeavor. The Dodgers signed Andy Pages for $300,000 back in 2018. One jackpot like that every five or six years is all a team needs.
The Phillies have gone more than a decade without one. Rhys Hoskins was the last, and only then at a non-premium position. Until they get another, expect more of the same.
Fifty years ago, the All-Star Game came to Philadelphia as part of the bicentennial celebration. Larry Bowa was among five Phillies who represented the National League. With the Midsummer Classic returning to town next month, Bowa joined Phillies Extra to recall the atmosphere surrounding the 1976 game and being an All-Star at Veterans Stadium, as well as the state of the current Phillies. Watch here.
You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Previous episodes: Joe Maddon | Rhys Hoskins | Terry Francona | Aaron Rowand | Hunter Pence | Paco Figueroa | Gage Wood | Scott Boras | Brian Barber | Aaron Nola
