Apr 10, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski before game against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports Eric Hartline
There will be no more talk of "pockets" in the ninth inning — the Phillies acquired a bonafide closer in Jhoan Durán from the Minnesota Twins Wednesday, and plan to use him as such, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski indicated in meeting with the collective media in Chicago.
As for what else could happen before the July 31 trade deadline, it sounds as though the Phillies are comfortable moving forward in the bullpen with the addition of Durán and the impending re-addition of David Robertson.
"No," Dombrowski said when MLB.com's Todd Zolecki asked if the team is still looking for more bullpen help.
"I mean, if somebody puts something so good on you [that you can't refuse] ... but between Durán, we've got Robertson coming in ... we're pleased with his progress ... we have Kerkering from the right-hand side ... Strahm, Banks ... we feel very comfortable with where we are."
The Phillies will get José Alvarado back from his performance-enhancing drug suspension on Aug. 18, although he's ineligible for the postseason. But Alvarado could take down some high-leverage innings down the stretch still, and the possibility exists in the postseason to use Ranger Suárez or Jesús Luzardo out of the bullpen in some form as well.
Surely, if something falls into the laps of the Phillies that would further allow them to bolster their bullpen, they will consider it. While the Phillies pulled off the biggest arm barn addition of the day, the division-rival New York Mets added Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers to Edwin Díaz, so they've built a pretty nasty bullpen that's still superior to the one of the Phillies. Still, the Phillies are in a much better spot with the bullpen than they were two weeks ago, before they signed Robertson and acquired Durán.
One of the most surprising parts about the acquisition of Durán is that the Phillies didn't have to move one of their consensus top-three prospects in RHP Andrew Painter, shortstop Aidan Miller and outfielder Justin Crawford. The Phillies parted with catcher Eduardo Tait and RHP Mick Abel — the No. 5 and 6 prospects in their system, per Ty Daubert of Phillies Nation — instead. Dombrowski flat-out said in his meeting with the media that the Phillies aren't interested in trading Painter at this time. Crawford could also theoretically make his Major League Debut Friday against the Detroit Tigers — that's our thought, not something Dombrowski said — so there's an argument for holding onto him as well.
With that said, when asked by The Athletic's Matt Gelb if another lineup upgrade could still be in order before Thursday's 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, Dombrowski sounded much more open to that possibility than an addition bullpen upgrade.
"Well, we're not done. I mean, we're not done talking," Dombrowski said. "The deadline is not over. We'll just see what ends up happening, I really don't know. They're tough to acquire too right now, so we have to kind of just see what happens tomorrow."
Dombrowski acknowledged that the preference in another addition would be a right-handed hitter, although that's not necessarily a deal-breaker.
Eugenio Suárez is the top rental addition available, as the veteran slugger has clubbed 36 home runs this year. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand wrote earlier today that the Phillies were one of four clubs "considered the primary teams in the race" for his services. Exactly who they would trade for Suárez is unclear, because Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Snakes had scouted Abel during his most recent start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He's now a Twin. The Phillies would also have to decide how to reconfigure their defensive lineup when Alec Bohm returns from a left rib fracture and likely pushes Suárez from third base to DH.
Another option that the Phillies just saw in Chicago is Luis Robert Jr., who could either come in and become the primary center fielder, or serve in a platoon with Brandon Marsh if Crawford was promoted. It remains to be seen whether the White Sox will lower the asking price on Robert, which was reported to be very high as recently as Tuesday. Robert homered 38 times two years ago and has gotten hot in July, but is also likely a rental that's hit just .216 with a .651 OPS since the start of the 2024 season.
If the Phillies wanted to take another big swing, they could try to pry Steven Kwan away from the Cleveland Guardians, something that seems increasingly possible. In fact, Feinsand reported Wednesday afternoon that the Guards are "trying to move" Kwan, a two-time All-Star. Kwan is left-handed, but puts the ball in play at a high clip and is an elite defender in left field, with two Gold Glove Awards on his resume. He's also 27 years old and under team control through the 2027 season. To land him, the Phillies would likely have to part with Miller and/or Crawford.
At the very least, the Phillies are now on the board, and in a big way. We'll know in the not-so-distant future if Dombrowski was able to further augment a roster with obvious flaws but clear World Series aspirations.
