Trade deadline: Another Mickey Moniak mistake for Cody Bellinger? Lance Lynn? Phils will see in next two weeks

Mickey Moniak is hitting .326 with a .990 OPS. He’s 25; he’s a gifted defensive outfielder, and he’s under the Angels’ control for four seasons beyond 2023.

Noah Syndergaard? He has virtually disappeared.

Moniak, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft, had finally earned a spot on the Phillies major-league roster in 2022, but in the final spring training game he was hit by a pitch that broke his right hand. He was the centerpiece of the deal that coalesced 15 minutes before the deadline last season that netted the Phillies ... Noah Syndergaard.

There was good reason. Phillies were desperate for a fifth starter to replace Zach Eflin, then Zack Wheeler. Moniak had become a change-of-scenery story; the thought was, he’d never succeed under the spotlight of expectation with the Phillies. To be fair, that might actually be the case; anonymity in Anaheim may have helped him flourish.

Still, consider the return. As a low-cost rental, Syndergaard compiled a 4.79 earned run average in his eight meaningful starts down the stretch. Syndergaard actually lost his starting job to Bailey Falter when Wheeler returned to the rotation. He served as a three-inning opener in Game 4 of the NL Division Series against Atlanta, lost Game 5 of the World Series to the Astros, and was gone. (The Dodgers took the bait for 2023, giving Syndergaard $13 million for a 1-4 record and a 7.16 ERA in 12 starts; he has resided on the injured list since early June with what must be one hell of a blister.)

» READ MORE: Jeff Hoffman brilliant in relief as Phillies beat Padres in 12 innings

Syndergaard was no Joe Blanton, the deadline addition on the 2008 World Series winner who went 6-0 and won two postseason games.

Moniak’s exit was, weirdly, generally presented as an afterthought.

By contrast, the deadline departure of catcher and top prospect Logan O’Hoppe caused considerable brow-wrinkling and hand-wringing, especially after he hit .283 with an .886 OPS in his first 16 games with the Angels this season. Consternation now is delayed, since O’Hoppe suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder in late April and likely will miss the season. Meanwhile, athletic center fielder Brandon Marsh, O’Hoppe’s return, has turned into a competent hitter and a key figure in the Phillies’ infectious clubhouse culture. Still, Marsh is probably not going to be Mickey Moniak.

Which brings us to late July, when kitchen stoves lay cold but baseball’s stove gets hottest.

Will the Phillies, teetering on the brink of wild-card irrelevance, panic and ship Griff McGarry or Justin Crawford to parts unknown for the likes of Cody Bellinger or Lance Lynn?

Perish the thought.

I’ll admit that I hate to see high-ceiling prospects leave in exchange for returns that are merely competent, but I also drove a 1983 Cadillac Sedan de Ville until 2006. Change might be healthy, but I’m no health nut. I didn’t want Marsh for Moniak, but then, I didn’t want Jean Segura for J.P. Crawford, either.

The Phillies enter the last two weeks before the Aug. 1 deadline faced with several strange and fluid circumstances. There’s almost no chance that Dealin’ Dave Dombrowski doesn’t flip a kid or two to marginally, and hopefully, improve the roster ... but there is sentiment in the organization that, if the tumblers fall the right way, Dombrowski might be best served to emulate his Hall of Fame predecessor, “Stand Pat” Gillick.

The Phillies hoped top prospect Andrew Painter would occupy their fifth starter spot, but he has fought an elbow injury since his spring-training start. The team has cobbled starts from its overtaxed bullpen, but the emergence of Cristopher Sánchez has been a godsend. In six starts he has a 3.26 ERA, averages five innings per start, and he’s 0-3 mainly because his offense has supported him with just 2.7 runs per game.

» READ MORE: Cristopher Sánchez has kept his walks down since returning. Here’s why the Phillies are optimistic it’ll stay that way.

Sánchez will have three more outings to convince the Phillies that, like Ranger Suárez in 2021 and Falter in 2022, he’s worth more than whatever they’d replace him with. The Phillies need overall depth, but it seems smarter to ride a 26-year-old in his second full season and see what he’s got than to trade for, say, Lance Lynn, who’s 10 years older and having the worst season of his career.

Double-A call-up Johan Rojas plays center field like Andruw Jones ... but he also might hit like the thirtysomething version of the Curaçao Kid (.214, minimal pop). If that’s the case, the Phillies surely will make his appearance with the big club nothing more than a two-week cameo. Rojas is only with the big club because Cristian Pache developed a freak elbow condition that will sideline him until at least September. But with his speed, his baseball IQ, and his peerless defense, if Rojas makes consistent contact in the coming fortnight, he won’t need grand slams to warrant a spot on the roster.

» READ MORE: Phillies’ Johan Rojas and the ‘unbelievable’ catch and throw to kickstart his major league career

Anything to avoid the Cody Bellinger mirage. After two All-Star seasons he hit .203 with a .648 OPS from 2020-22 with the Dodgers, which makes it hard to believe his .301 average and .882 OPS this year with the Cubs entering Monday night. He’s due to come back to earth.

It’s always nice to add bullpen pieces, but the ‘pen, as constituted, has been a strength. All they need is just a little patience ... and luck.

Late-inning studs Seranthony Domínguez (side) and José Alvarado (elbow) should be back on the mound by Aug. 1. Combined with Jeff Hoffman, Yunior Marte, and Gregory Soto, who generally have been superb the last two months, the Phillies, if healthy, might not have room for much more relief.

Of course, there’s always room for more competent relief. Will the Phillies seek that relief in the form of Noah Song? Don’t forget about the Rule 5 right-hander from the Red Sox. A back injury delayed his 2023 season, but now he’s on a minor-league rehab assignment and must join the major-league roster by the end of the month or be offered back to the Sox. He’s converting from starter to reliever. Do the Phillies dare test that conversion during a playoff chase?

» READ MORE: The Phillies’ Noah Song will begin a rehab stint in the minors. And then what? That’s complicated.

Going for broke is always a gamble. The Phillies gambled on Syndergaard, and they lost. How big? That’s yet to be determined. Moniak hit two homers in his first five games with the Angels last season before breaking a finger. He’s got 10 homers in 41 games this season. He looks like the real deal.

A real steal.