July 24, 2025
Baseball is the most individual team sport there is.
Typically it's easy to find the weak link or know who is to blame for a team's shortcomings. And through the first 102 games of the 2025 season, there are some pretty weak links on the Phillies roster.
An extra-innings barn-burner saw Jesús Luzardo blow a five-run lead to the Red Sox on Wednesday. The offense fought back several times before the bullpen folded and hitters failed in the clutch with runners on base. It was a pretty good encapsulation of a flawed Phillies team that is hurdling toward an incredibly important trade deadline next Thursday.
Which players are holding the team back the most? What upgrades or changes can be made to fix things?
The issue: The Kepler signing was a little odd when it came to pass this offseason, with the Phillies adding an average hitter who hits from the left side to a lineup in desperate need of consistency in the outfield. Kepler has not provided that this season.
After going 0-for-5 Wednesday, squandering several chances for the Phillies to complete their sweep of the Red Sox, the 32-year-old is hitting .203 this season through 90 games. The Phillies can't keep trotting him out to left field at this point.
Internal upgrade: Justin Crawford is right there, knocking on the door as he continues to turn heads in Triple-A. The 21-year-old first round pick is hitting .331 in Lehigh Valley and has a .414 on base percentage with 31 stolen bases. There's no reason he can't play every day in left field.
External upgrade: It was reported this week that the Phillies are one of a few teams seriously interested in two-time All-Star Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan. He'd be a nice fit as well.
The issue: Stott sees a lot of pitches and is great on the base paths. He's also the best defensive infielder currently playing every day. However he is just not hitting at a big league level — .231 right now.
The most frustrating thing about the homegrown 2019 first round pick is he's been trending downward offensively for three straight years now. It's quite a troubling trend:
| Season | Slash | HR, RBI |
| 2023 | .280/.329/.419 | 15, 62 |
| 2024 | .245/.315/.356 | 11, 57 |
| 2025 | .231/.303/.340 | 7, 39* |
Internal upgrade: In the event of a shakeup, Stott could be spelled by another first-rounder: Aidan Miller, the team's most highly touted infield prospect. He's playing well in Reading, defensively and on the base paths, but his batting average isn't much better — currently sitting at .222. The team also has some depth with righties Otto Kemp and Edmundo Sosa able to play at a few different infield positions. Stott is becoming a platoon infielder.
External upgrade: There aren't any infielders currently being tied to the Phillies, they'll likely just shuffle around the infielders they have for the remainder of the year.
The issue: For whatever reason, the Phillies front office chose to put their bullpen hopes into reclamation project Romano instead of retaining All-Stars Carlos Estévez or Jeff Hoffman last fall. The results have been dreadful. A scoreless inning Wednesday lowered his season ERA to 6.69. His WHIP is 1.40 and he's blown three saves.
Romano will eventually be DFA'd or relegated to a less prominent role — it doesn't seem likely that he'll suddenly figure it out in late summer.
Internal upgrade: Would the Phillies consider bringing up Mick Abel or Andrew Painter — their two best pitching prospects — to take on roles in the bullpen during the stretch run? We wrote about that possibility here.
External upgrade: There are a bevy of available bullpen upgrades and there isn't much doubt that the Phillies will address it in the next week before the deadline.
The issue: Ross was inked to be a swingman, a pitcher with a track record of success as both a starter and reliever. He's been unable to find his groove with the Phillies this season, however, with a 5.51 ERA over 44.1 games and an ugly 1.551 WHIP. He's another reliever whose job could be in jeopardy after the trade deadline.
Internal upgrade: The same options are available to help from the minors in Abel and Painter if the front office decides to go that route.
External upgrade: Middle of the bullpen arms should not be overly expensive for the Phillies to add in the trade market.
The issue: Alvarado was spectacular over his first 20 games this season, with a 2.70 ERA and 25 strikeouts to just four walks. He was exactly the kind of reliable closer the team desperately needed to solidify the bullpen. But then he got suspended.
The lefty could be back in the middle of August when his PED suspension is lifted, but the terms of his punishment forbid him being on a postseason roster. He really screwed the bullpen. Without the anchor at the back of the pen, the Phillies have been flailing as they've looked for an in-house solution. They'll no doubt try and find a closer at the trade deadline.
Internal upgrade: There isn't a proven back of the bullpen closer in the minors.
External upgrade: The Phillies are reportedly interested in a few elite closers right now, including Jhoan Durán, Félix Bautista, Mason Miller and some others. We wrote about those possibilities earlier this week.
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