July 19, 2025
Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports
Phillies pitching prospect Andrew Painter picked up his second win for the IronPigs.
The trade deadline is less than two weeks away and the Phillies are expected to be doing everything they can to add some reliable arms to one of the worst bullpens in baseball.
Prospects could be on the move as required compensation, as the team is reportedly seeking a closer who will be under team control for more than a season. But that could cost a pretty penny.
There might be another way the team could approach revamping the bullpen ahead of the playoff stretch run.
In a recently published story from The Athletic, Charlotte Varnes got some very interesting insight from Phillies managing partner John Middleton.
“I could see Abel coming back up if he’s not up before that for some other reason,” Middleton said. “I could see Abel in the bullpen, coming out at 97 mph with a really good curveball. Painter might be up here the same way. So, you never know.”
The conversation about Painter to this point has been solely as utilizing the team's top prospect as a starter. It's where he's pitched for his entire career — though he has struggled lately in Triple-A. But the rotation, once Aaron Nola returns could be hard to crack. And Nola is inching closer to a rehab assignment and an eventual ascension to replace Taijuan Walker in the starting five.
Abel is another highly-touted prospect who pitched very well in spurts in the majors during two call-ups this season, but was recently sent back to Lehigh Valley after a string of subpar starts. He bounced back in the minors and looks like his old dynamic self. He, too, could be a burst of energy and strikeout stuff out of the bullpen.
Making these potential promotions and positional changes isn't necessarily a permanent move. Many star pitchers have skipped back and forth between the bullpen and rotation — and the Phillies have a lot of stock in Abel, Painter or both becoming mainstays as starters in the near future.
An influx of college pitching talent could have been a signal that the Phillies are sick of shopping for bullpen help, or signing free agent mercenaries. Perhaps an organizational shift in mentality could lead to the team giving a notable prospect an opportunity to play an Orion Kerkering-like role in the fall, a young flamethrower adding some energy to a veteran bullpen.
It's another thing to keep an eye on as the deadline nears on July 31.
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