The Phillies want a platoon partner for Brandon Marsh. Here are six trade candidates who could fill the need.

What will the Phillies do at the trade deadline?

Bryce Harper insists your guess is as good as his.

Surely, Harper has thoughts. He doesn’t mind playing armchair general manager when he isn’t doing his day job at first base. And he isn’t shy about sharing his opinions with Dave Dombrowski either, not that he thinks the Hall of Fame-bound president of baseball operations needs the help.

» READ MORE: How aggressive will the Phillies be at the trade deadline? Let’s look at Dave Dombrowski’s history for clues.

But when it came this week to the question of what to get for the team that seems to have it all — most notably the best record in baseball — the Face of the Phillies deferred (for the first time ever?) to the decision-makers in the front office.

“That’s [up to] Dave, man,” Harper said at the All-Star Game. “That’s all what he thinks. He never brings anybody into our clubhouse that isn’t the right fit. He does a good job of asking Trea [Turner] or [Kyle] Schwarber or myself or J.T. [Realmuto] what we think. But he does such a good job of the things that he needs to do to make our team better.”

Harper is sure of one thing, though: Dombrowski will do … something.

“Everybody knows Dave, man,” Harper said. “Anything can happen.”

Maybe Dealin’ Dave will pull off a blockbuster, as in his 2014 swap for David Price with the Tigers, who were all-in to win it all after falling in the AL Championship Series in 2013 and losing in the World Series in 2012. (Sound familiar?) But unless the Athletics give in on closer Mason Miller, the Tigers sell ace Tarik Skubal, or the Blue Jays move Bo Bichette or Vladimir Guerrero Jr., White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet might be the only available player who would inspire a megadeal.

So it’s more likely that Dombrowski will narrow his focus to strengthen specific areas on the margins, as he did at the deadline with division-leading Red Sox teams in 2016, 2017, and 2018. It would make sense, then, to add a righty reliever to the late-inning crew that manager Rob Thomson tends to lean on more heavily in the postseason.

But the outfield is shaping up as the biggest need. Internally, the Phillies see pros and cons to sticking with Johan Rojas in center field. There are risks in trading for White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who comes with a lengthy injury history and club control through next season and potentially 2027.

» READ MORE: The Phillies' bullpen isn't a weakness, but that doesn't mean they should pass on upgrading at the trade deadline

The Phillies could look for a left fielder and move Brandon Marsh back to center, but it would have to be in a platoon with Rojas because Marsh hasn’t started a game against a non-opener lefty since May 16. Thomson maintains that Marsh will be an everyday player, but it hasn’t happened yet. If it ever does, it won’t be this season.

Marsh didn’t start either game of last October’s wild-card series against two Marlins lefties and wouldn’t face Braves lefties Max Fried and Chris Sale in a playoff series this year. At a minimum, the Phillies need a righty-hitting outfielder to split time with Marsh, essentially as an upgrade over recently released Whit Merrifield.

That pursuit could lead the Phillies in several directions — and signal their long-term plans for Marsh and Rojas, to boot. Here’s a look at six outfielders who represent three avenues that Dombrowski could take before 6 p.m. July 30:

The least complicated way for the Phillies to address their immediate outfield need is to trade for a player with an expiring contract.

Such as the Tigers’ Mark Canha.

Or Randal Grichuk of the Diamondbacks.

Not exactly headline-grabbers, but here’s the thing: Marsh is going to start against righties, whether he plays left field or center. If the Phillies stick with Rojas, they would be acquiring an outfielder who would start only about 35% of the time, hardly enough to warrant spending farm-system capital.

» READ MORE: Well-timed rest for All-Stars Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suárez a wise move for World Series-or-bust Phillies

Because they will be free agents after the season, Canha and Grichuk won’t net a top-10 organizational prospect. They also wouldn’t block Marsh, in particular, from playing more often next season.

Canha, 35, entered the weekend batting only .228 with a .676 OPS and six homers in 341 plate appearances, but he was at his best against lefties: .286, .879 OPS, and two homers in 77 plate appearances. He’s also 5-for-16 with two homers against Fried, with two doubles and a triple against Sale.

Grichuk, 32, went into the All-Star break with a .776 OPS, slightly worse than his .819 career mark. The Phillies discussed him before the deadline last year but passed before the Rockies dealt him to the Angels. Maybe they’ll reconsider. He has, after all, taken Sale deep twice and gotten three hits this season against Fried.

And keep this in mind: Nobody thought Dombrowski’s 2018 trade for Steve Pearce to fill the Red Sox’s need for a right-handed bat was a splashy move — until Pearce was named World Series MVP.

Among 196 hitters who had at least 75 plate appearances against lefties at the All-Star break, Taylor Ward ranked 21st with a .957 OPS. But he’s also under club control via arbitration through 2026.

It follows, then, that the Angels should be able to pry a better prospect for Ward, who might appeal more to a contender in desperate need of outfield help (say, the Braves) or an upstart in the wild-card race that finds value in Ward for more than merely this year (the Pirates or Royals, for instance).

For the Phillies, trading for Ward would deepen the outfield in the short term but seemingly impede Marsh or Rojas from everyday at-bats next year. Then again, Ward is batting only .163/.287/.284 with three homers since Memorial Day, so maybe the Phillies view the 30-year-old as only the lefty-mashing half of a platoon with Marsh, his former Angels teammate.

» READ MORE: Three questions the Phillies must answer before they decide what to do at the trade deadline

At least we know the Angels are selling. The Rays, 48-48 with a minus-63 run differential at the All-Star break, “will listen” to offers, according to MLB Network, but were also still within sight of a wild-card spot.

Randy Arozarena is having the worst year of his career. But he seems to have regained his stroke lately, batting .283 with an .874 OPS and four homers in 26 games before the break. He also has a .904 OPS in his career against lefties, including a .790 mark this season.

Like Ward, Arozarena can’t be a free agent until after the 2026 season. And the Rays would be selling low if they trade him now. But if he’s available, the 29-year-old former All-Star is a tantalizing talent to consider adding to the lineup.

Then there’s Brent Rooker, who aced a potential job interview by going 7-for-12 with three homers (including a 452- and 450-footer, according to Statcast) in three games at Citizens Bank Park last weekend. But while he’s among the best available right-handed hitters, he has played one game in the outfield for the Athletics since May 22.

Rooker, 29, is under club control through 2027, so the return figures to be considerable for primarily a designated hitter.

When the trade deadline passed last year, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters that he put “a pretty aggressive price” on outfielder Lane Thomas and didn’t back down.

Maybe things are different now.

Thomas has one more year of salary arbitration before free agency, but Washington’s outfield is getting crowded. Top prospect James Wood made his major-league debut a few weeks ago; the touted Dylan Crews and Robert Hassell II are in triple A and double A, respectively; Jacob Young has taken over center field.

» READ MORE: Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman prove they don’t need designated reliever roles to make the All-Star game

If Thomas doesn’t factor into the Nationals’ long-term plan, they will get a greater return if they trade him now.

And he happens to be a good fit for the Phillies.

Thomas, 27, entered the weekend with a .980 OPS against lefties and a .610 mark against righties, making him a mirror image of Marsh (.378 vs. lefties, .887 vs. righties). Put them together, and you’re likely to get consistent production out of left field.

Because the Phillies would have Thomas next season, too, maybe they would move a second-tier prospect (anyone other than Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, and probably Justin Crawford). But if the Nationals price Thomas as an everyday outfielder, as they did last year, the teams may not agree on his value.