Major League Baseball’s trade deadline has officially come and gone, and even the No. 1 team in the league – the Philadelphia Phillies – joined in the wheelin’ and dealin’ leading up to the 6:00 PM cut-off for deals to be made. They set out with a goal of adding a right-handed hitting outfielder and some pitching depth, and that is exactly what they did.
Phillies President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, spoke with reporters behind the broadcast booth during Tuesday night’s game against the Yankees to shed some insight into the deals Philadelphia made to better their club for the stretch run. Let’s break down each move and what Dombrowski had to say about each one.
Phillies Moves
OF Austin Hays in – Seranthony Domínguez, Cristian Pache out
The first deal Philadelphia made was to add a right-handed hitting outfielder to the mix. In a deal with the Baltimore Orioles, the Phillies acquired outfielder Austin Hays. The 28-year-old was an All-Star last season, but had lost some playing time in Baltimore due to the influx of young, major league-ready talent they have. As a result, Hays became expendable – a great site for Dombrowski who told reporters right after the deal was made, “I’ve actually tried to acquire him the last two trading deadlines, and [the Orioles] were asking for much more than we wanted to give.”
The Phillies finally liked the asking price and moved on from a long-tenured member of the bullpen in the process. Domínguez at one time flashed closer potential. Whether it be injuries or mechanical issues, it never panned out the way Philly hoped, but he was a reliable arm in big spots for the club the last few seasons. With him, Philly sent Pache down to Baltimore as well. Cristian likely would have been on the chopping block as he had no minor league options left. With Hays coming in, if it was the extra piece needed then so be it.
Hays has crushed left-handed pitching this season, but Philadelphia will allow him to play nearly every day – for now. That has also pushed Brandon Marsh to center field with more regular at-bats expected for the LHH, as well.
Tuesday night, Dombrowski was clear that their priority was an outfield bat, and they accomplished that goal. “We set out with the goal of trying to get a right-handed outfielder, which was Austin” He later noted that they continued to monitor the outfield market, “we just kind of looked at, can we get a guy to be a right-handed hitting center fielder at some point, just in a minimal usage point if the right guy came around. It just didn’t work out for us and we have a guy in Rojas that we like, and we have some guys in Triple-A if we really wanted to that we could bring up“
RHP Carlos Estévez in – prospects out
Estevez may end up being the most impactful player Philadelphia brings in. The 31-year-old has 20 saves in 23 chances so far this season, with a 2.38 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 32 strikeouts vs. just three unintentional walks across 34 innings. Despite being a closer, he is ready to fill whatever the spot the Phillies need him to. I spoke to him prior to Tuesday’s game, and he didn’t seem bothered by the change in roles at all:
“I would love to close, but if this is what I have to do to win a ring, to get to the playoffs – I don’t mind it because at the end of the day, everyone’s pulling their rope to get us there so I’m gonna hold on to mine and do my job.”
The Phillies immediately replaced the departing Domínguez with one of the better right-handed arms available. It cost them a package of two pitching prospects who were on the rise due to their performances this season. Sam Aldegheri and George Klassen both started the season ranked in the 20’s in Philadelphia’s system, but according to Baseball America, they both had shot into the top 10 with Klassen reaching No. 5, and Aldegheri climbing to No. 7.
LHP Tanner Banks in – prospect out
Banks, 32, has been solid in his career. With the White Sox, he’s been slated for various roles, including some starts, and has pitched to a 3.89 ERA over 162 the past three years. This season, his 4.13 ERA doesn’t jump off the page, but his 26.8% strikeout rate, 3.23 xERA, and 3.12 SIERA are the best marks of his career. Dombrowski confirmed that Banks could be in line for multi-inning appearances if needed. He has done so in 16 of his 41 appearances this season. Although the “lefty-specialist” role isn’t exactly a thing anymore, the southpaw has dominated same-handed opponents this season, striking out lefties at a 33.7% rate and holding them to just a .184 average.
On the way to Chicago is 19-year-old infielder William Bergolla. Bergolla signed with the Phillies as an international free agent in 2022. Entering the season, he was the team’s No. 10 prospect according to Baseball America, but different evaluators had him ranked much lower.
Dombrowski said the club has liked Banks “for a long time. We felt he was a better fit for our bullpen at this time.” Who he was a better fit than takes us to our final deal that Philadelphia made, just slightly after the news about the deal with the White Sox broke.
LHP Gregory Soto out – prospect in
In what can only amount to a surprise after seeing him warming up on the field with his son during pregame, Soto was traded to Baltimore in the second deal between the two clubs. Dombrowski said “we would not have made the Soto deal unless we got Banks. That was very quick, at the end.”
Soto was brought in after having success in the closer role with the Tigers, but he never seemed to perform at the same level since joining the Phillies. That doesn’t mean he’s been bad – he has a 26.7 strikeout percentage, 12.1 walk rate, and 50% ground-ball rate in 35 1/3 innings for the Phillies this year. Dombrowski said, “I think a lot of times he envisioned himself as a closer…but the way we use our pen I’m just not sure that ever was a role he felt comfortable in.”
Once Banks was acquired, the Phillies didn’t want to carry four left-handed relievers and per Dombrowski, the club received a few calls about Soto’s availability so they followed up with some of those clubs, and Baltimore met the asking price.
Philly received two pitching prospects back – Seth Johnson and Moises Chace.
Johnson, 25, will be assigned to Double-A Reading. He underwent Tommy John a few years ago, but still grades out well and was a former 40th overall pick in the draft. Dombrowski considers him a starting pitcher both now and long term.
Chace is only 19 and has a great arm that the Phillies organization just saw, as he pitched against the High-A Jersey Shore Blue Claws a few days ago. Dombrowski said he threw the ball well in that outing and has “pitched exceptionally well.“
In Conclusion
Philadelphia felt the most important needs were a right-handed hitting outfielder and bullpen upgrades, and Dombrowski made sure that happened. This was their only chance to improve, barring a stunning free agent signings or an unexpected promotion.
Time will tell if the bullpen upgrades are truly that, but Hays and two more high-leverage arms can’t hurt a team with World Series aspirations. Now, the biggest need for this club is to get the stars in the lineup going once again.
