The Phillies are happy with the groundwork they've laid.
Building an embarrassingly bad team into a perennial playoff powerhouse isn't easy. And deals for veterans like Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Zack Wheeler and others have panned out.
So too have some homegrown players, like Alec Bohm, Ranger Suárez and Cris Sánchez. But they haven't won a World Series, despite having one of the most expensive and talented teams in the sport. In fact, they've exited the postseason one round earlier in each of the last three Octobers.
With the MLB's trade deadline just over a week away, it might be now or never for this era of Phillies baseball.
Here are five reasons why it's essential that this team do whatever it takes to bring in a superstar, like Jarren Duran, Jhoan Durán, Emmanuel Clase or even Luis Robert Jr.
It's time to make a splash.
1. They're about to lose some stars
There's a pretty good chance that the 2026 Phillies do not have Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto or Ranger Suárez on the roster. That trio of All-Stars is set to see their contracts expire in the fall, and for various reasons, returns are not safe assumptions.
For Schwarber and Suárez it's financial. Each will likely be able to find more money elsewhere. Schwarber is having a season for the ages and could command a gigantic deal in free agency. For Realmuto, who has caught more than his share of innings during his Phillies tenure, an age 35 catcher might not be the best way for the Phillies to keep things fresh next season. He could also find some suitors in free agency looking to add one of the best catchers in baseball to their squad.
This core is talented, and adding talent to it is the way to win.
2. They're not getting any younger
How long will this window of competitiveness last? The core players who have gotten the Phillies to the postseason for three years in a row are going to be aging out of their primes over the next few seasons. Which makes it even more urgent for the front office to make the best of the stars they have this season.
| Player | Age |
| J.T. Realmuto | 34 |
| Bryce Harper | 32 |
| Trea Turner | 32 |
| Nick Castellanos | 33 |
| Kyle Schwarber | 32 |
| Zack Wheeler | 35 |
| Aaron Nola | 32 |
| Matt Strahm | 33 |
All eight of the 30-plus players in our table above have been All-Stars. All of them are still playing well. But injuries and depreciation happen quickly. The Phillies need to take advantage and add to this core while they still can.
3. There is a lot of parity right now
The Phillies are clinging to a slim lead over the Mets in the NL East right now. They are 22-21 since the start of June. And even with some recent struggles and mediocrity, they have the fourth-best record in the NL and are only two wins away from having the best record in the league.
The juggernaut Dodgers aren't running away with it. The Mets are not as intimidating as many thought they would be with Juan Soto in the fold. The Braves are having a nightmare of a season and have been a non-threat through 100-plus games.
It's possible that a return to the World Series might never be more achievable than it is this season. Which is another reason why the Phillies need to push their chips into the pot.
4. Trading unknowns for knowns
There is no way to predict how good Andrew Painter will be in the majors. He's just 21. He's never played in a major league game. The same can be said for Aidan Miller, Justin Crawford and a slew of other prospects in the Phillies farm system that the organization has thus far been very covetous of.
Would the Phillies prefer to have their future ace, shortstop and outfielder of the future under team control and cheap for years to come? Of course they would — it's why they were each picked in the first round. But quite often in Phillies history, the outgoing prospects became total afterthoughts and never panned out.
Remember Mickey Moniak? Adam Haseley? Cornelius Randolph? First round picks are far from a guarantee.
Here's a look at seven of the biggest blockbuster Phillies trades from the last 20 years (the Phillies haven't made too many big ones in recent seasons). We'll withhold judgement on the Jesús Luzardo trade from this past offseason since it's quite fresh:
| Year | Incoming | Outgoing |
| 2007 | Brad Lidge, Eric Bruntlett (0.6 WAR w/PHL) | Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary, Mike Costanzo (15.2 WAR combined after being traded) |
| 2009 | Roy Halladay (17.0 WAR w/PHL) | Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, Travis d’Arnaud (7.9 WAR career WAR combined) |
| 2009 | Cliff Lee, Ben Francisco (21.1 WAR w/PHL) | Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Knapp, Jason Donal (22.2 career WAR combined) |
| 2019 | J.T. Realmuto (23.8 WAR w/PHL) | Sixto Sanchez, Jorge Alfaro, Will Stewart (3.5 career WAR combined) |
| 2019 | Jean Segura (8.9 WAR w/PHL) | J.P. Crawford, Carlos Santana (34.1 combined WAR after being traded) |
| 2022 | Brandon Marsh (7.0 WAR w/PHL) | Logan O'Hoppe (4.0 career WAR) |
The Phillies appear to have lost the Segura trade, as Crawford has carved out a nice career for himself in Seattle.
Also by wins above replacement, they didn't win the Lidge trade — but he saved 41 of 41 games in 2008 and helped lead them to a World Series, so it's hard to say they didn't come out on top thanks to the transaction.
Prospects usually don't pan out. Sometimes they do. But it's worth the risk when a team is as close as the Phillies are.
5. They can't just keep running it back
One of the main areas of uneasiness for Phillies fans this offseason was the Phillies being content standing pat after an early playoff exit last October. They added Luzardo and mixed up the bullpen (unsuccessfully) but the vast majority of the 26-man roster returned from 2024 to 2025.
In the team's defense, they are in first place. But they could be much better had the front office prioritized the bullpen and made a more aggressive move in the outfield than signing Max Kepler — who has proven to be a below-average hitter though the first half of the season.
Some new blood would do this team good. Even if it's an internal move to bring up a top energetic prospect — standing pat is not an option anymore.
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