May 5, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez against the New York Mets at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
While the bullpen is the biggest issue, it was clear during last weekend's sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers — a series where Bryce Harper was out of the lineup and Kyle Schwarber was mortal — that the Phillies are overly reliant on their two best offensive players.
Trea Turner homered twice in Tuesday's win over the Toronto Blue Jays, and currently leads the National League with 73 hits. His third season in Philadelphia has been his most productive to this point.
Still, it's evident that the Phillies need another big bat. Max Kepler, J.T. Realmuto, Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas all are under .700 in terms of OPS. Nick Castellanos has a 101 OPS+ (100 is the league average), well below the production you would expect from a player making $20 million.
Perhaps where this is most notable is when you try to rearrange the top four batters in the order. Everyone agrees that Harper, Schwarber and Turner should be hitting in the top four. Bryson Stott, though, has been the primary leadoff hitter against righties, and while he's seen a lot of pitches, he has just a .322 on-base percentage. If you move Schwarber or Turner to the leadoff spot, that creates another hole in the top four.
#Phillies Mailbag: How much longer will Bryson Stott lead off for? 📫
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— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) June 3, 2025 at 12:08 PM
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Center field is probably the biggest hole on the team right now, but as the Phillies have found out in recent years, improving at that position is very difficult. For example, Luis Robert Jr. is hitting .177 this season for the Chicago White Sox. There may not even be a ton of great options in left field, where you would probably be looking for a right-handed platoon partner that would be an upgrade over Weston Wilson to go with Max Kepler. Trading for Randal Grichuk, for example, might improve the team, but it would feel like an underwhelming move if that's all you do to tweak the lineup.
With all that acknowledged, we've come up with a few creative ideas for how to get the Phillies another impact bat.
This would require the Diamondbacks — a team that entered the season with World Series aspirations — falling out of the race. But with Corbin Burnes now injured and their fourth-place standing in the NL West, it's not impossible that the best path for Arizona is to do a mini-retool at the trade deadline.
In that case, Suárez — a free agent at the end of the season — would be an obvious trade candidate. He's going to strike out a fair share of times, but also has hit 292 home runs in his career. He would give you a right-handed bat with thump, potentially allowing Kyle Schwarber to return to the leadoff spot without leaving a huge hole at cleanup.
This scenario would require the Phillies waiving the white flag on Bohm, the former No. 3 overall pick. Perhaps he could go back to Arizona as part of the trade return, or be moved in a separate deal. He does still have one additional remaining year before free agency, so there would likely be some interest in Bohm. Moving on from him might be difficult in the sense that he's a homegrown player that made an All-Star team last year, but it's hard to argue that Suárez wouldn't be a clear upgrade over him at third base.
Reynolds is a two-time All-Star, but trading for him would be a risk in the sense that he's having a dreadful season, hitting .234 with a .675 OPS. However, he's a switch hitter that homered 24 times in each of the prior two seasons. In making this trade, you would be betting that Reynolds didn't just forget how to hit at age 30, and could benefit from a change of scenery.
There are some moving parts here.
First of all, Reynolds would take over as the full-time left fielder, so Kepler would likely be the odd-man-out. The Phillies would have to move Kepler, probably for a very minimal return.
Second of all, Reynolds is only in the third season of an eight-year deal, so you would have to feel really good about him bouncing back from a slow start. With that said, Reynolds is due $75.25 million over the next five seasons, with a $20 million club option for 2031. If he's just an above-average outfielder, that deal is going to become team-friendly with inflation.
Anthony SanFilippo mentioned Gurriel as someone worth considering in our latest Phillies Mailbag.
Gurriel was an All-Star in 2023, and drove in 11 runs in the postseason as the Snakes made a shocking run past the Phillies and into the World Series. After that, the Diamondbacks re-signed him to a three-year/$42 million deal that includes a player opt-out after 2025 and a $14 million club option for 2027.
The thing about Gurriel is if you trade for him, he's going to be your everyday left fielder. He would be an upgrade over Kepler, but with a .747 OPS since the start of the 2024 season, perhaps not enough to justify taking on the remainder of his contract.
Steven Kwan uncorks an unbelievable throw! 😱 pic.twitter.com/zaoZ1krPGD
It is fully acknowledged that these are long shots, calls that Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies might have more success with if they make in the offseason. But sometimes, especially when you're looking for creative solutions, you have to make opposing teams hang up the phone on you.
The first would be Steven Kwan, perhaps the best left fielder in baseball. Kwan is a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, and would be a perfect leadoff hitter for the Phillies. Unless he takes an extremely team-friendly deal, Kwan probably will be traded by the Guardians as he nears free agency. That seems more like an offseason conversation, as Kwan is under team control through the 2027 season and the Guards are currently contending. But you never know....
Meanwhile, things are teetering on disaster for the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox have a surplus of position players, particularly in the outfield, where they don't currently have room for No. 1 prospect Roman Anthony to be promoted. Whether it was to play center field, left field or some combination of the two, Jarren Duran would be a great addition. The Red Sox probably aren't going to move him, but it's worth checking in on both him and Wilyer Abreu.
Finally, Spencer Steer is having a down year for the Cincinnati Reds, hitting .227 with a .628 OPS. But the 27-year-old drove in 86+ runs in each of the prior two seasons, and is under control through the 2028 season. He's got MLB experience at every position on the diamond except catcher, so you could be creative in how you utilize him.
