Phillies Deadline Moves
The trade deadline has come and gone. Trevor Bauer was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. Zack Greinke was traded to the Houston Astros, making them the prohibitive favorite in the American League. The Philadelphia Phillies were busy as well, striking a pair of deadline deals. Neither of them was as dramatic as landing Bauer nor Greinke. However, the two moves do serve to bolster the Phillies lineup and starting rotation as they take aim at a National League Wild Card spot.
Phillies Make a Deadline Deal with a Hated Rival
The Phillies starting rotation has been inconsistent all season long. Aaron Nola has been a strong number one starter, but Jake Arrieta has struggled to find consistency this season. Zach Eflin had a strong first half but has allowed six earned runs or more in four of his last six starts. The rotation needed a shot in the arm. They hope to have received it in the acquisition of Jason Vargas from the New York Mets.
The Phillies will be Vargas’ seventh team in his fourteen seasons, making him the definition of a journeyman. He has compiled a career record of 98-95 in those fourteen seasons, with a respectable 4.28 ERA. This season, the 36-year-old has posted a 6-5 mark with New York along with a solid 4.01 ERA. He figures to give the Phillies a solid option for the rotation. He has, however, thrown only 94 innings in his 18 starts this season. Consequently, they don’t figure to get more than five innings every fifth day out of the veteran lefty.
Phillies Add Outfield Depth at Deadline
The outfield figured to be a source of offensive production for the Phillies, and so far, it has been just that. Even in a bit of a down year, Bryce Harper has hit 18 homers and knocked in 72 runs. Jay Bruce has hit 10 homers and knocked in 29 runs since coming to the Phillies from the Seattle Mariners on June 2nd. Scott Kingery has filled in admirably in center field after the injury to Andrew McCutchen, hitting .273 and playing solid defensively. Despite that production, the Phillies thought they could use more depth in the outfield. They found that in Corey Dickerson.
The Phillies acquired Dickerson on Wednesday from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later and $250,000 in international bonus money. The 30-year-old Gold Glove outfielder has only played in 41 games this season due to injuries. He is, however, hitting .317 and has driven in 25 runs in just 126 at-bats.
Is This Enough?
The Phillies are still six and a half games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. They entered play on Wednesday in possession of one of the two NL Wild Card spots, with the Brewers, Giants, and Nationals still hot on their tails. Arizona figures to fall out of it after the departure of Greinke, but the field remains close and crowded. Dickerson’s glove and Vargas’ arm appear to add depth to a team gearing up for a run at the postseason. Is it enough? Only time will tell.
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