How the First-Place Phillies Approach the MLB Transfer Deadline

Unlike past seasons, when the Philadelphia Phillies entered the trade season with glaring holes to fill as they trailed in the NL East, this year’s team finds itself atop the baseball world with the best record in the sport heading into the final weekend of July. That doesn’t mean they’ll be quiet during the trade deadline, however.

Sure, the Phillies have few needs to address, as they rank first in the majors in scoring and third in runs prevented. But passing up an opportunity to improve the roster goes against the grain of their chief decision-maker, Dave Dombrowski, at least according to one competing evaluator who laughed at the idea that Dombrowski wouldn’t be a major player on the trade market.

“Why do you think there were those rumors about Luis Robert Jr. with the Phillies?” the executive said. “Dave always wants to make a big deal.”

Dombrowski went smaller on Friday, addressing one of the team’s weakest links by adding Austin Hays in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles. The Phillies are hoping he can improve the team’s outfield production, which ranks 25th in the majors in OPS. League sources said adding a reliever is also a possibility for a team that plans to use its bullpen deep into October.

Whatever additions Dombrowski makes will bolster a team that has already established itself as a World Series favorite, not necessarily a blockbuster deal to put them over the top. Philadelphia dominated the standings from Day 1 and has increased its lead in the NL East since the All-Star break.

With a nine-game lead in the division, the next few days should be relatively stress-free for the front office, right? Well, sort of. Dombrowski was recently asked if this year’s transfer deadline is different for him because his team is on top instead of chasing.

“Yes and no,” he told ESPN. “It’s different, but when you have a chance to win, you always try to make your club the best it can be. That was our focus last year. What’s different is this team is really solid. We’re in a position where the number of players you want to add and the impact of those players may not be as great as we needed in the past.”

Dombrowski acquired Brandon Marsh and Michael Lorenzen, among others, over the past two trade deadlines, and the new additions helped propel the Phillies to the postseason. He admits it’s a new feeling this time around, not having the pressure of needing that kind of spark to make it to October.

“We had to fight to get in,” Dombrowski said. “And we’re not there yet — but it’s very different.”

The last two seasons, they finished 14 games behind the Braves in their own division. A big reason this year’s deadline is different is that management had a plan to ramp up the workload earlier than ever before, starting in spring training. The players have done everything they can to execute that plan.

“We had planned to increase innings for pitchers and at-bats for hitters in the spring, but we had an illness that took everybody out for a week,” manager Rob Thomson explained with a laugh. “So that turned out to be tough.”

The club overcame that early hurdle and got right to work when the regular season began. By the end of May, they had a 6-12 game lead in the division and haven’t looked back since.

“It was definitely emphasized from the top down,” All-Star shortstop Trea Turner said. “Maybe we were just learning how to be the favorite. That took a year or two. Now we’re expected to win, so that mentality changes a little bit. It’s not about trying harder or winning more, obviously. It’s more about the timetable of how baseball works.”

Several reasons have been given around the clubhouse for this year’s fast start, with players beginning to point to the team’s historically strong starting rotation. Ranger Suarez, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Christopher Sanchez were at their best coming out of spring training, and as a result, the Phillies have led MLB in starting pitching ERA all season, with all four pitchers making the NL All-Star team.

Several key position players, most notably All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm, have also taken their play to the next level, making the lineup less reliant on hitters Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

Some players pointed to another unifying factor that has driven the team since the day it entered spring training: collective anger after losing Games 6 and 7 of the NLCS at home to the Diamondbacks last October, despite entering the series as heavy favorites to advance to a second straight World Series.

“We left last season with a bitter taste in our mouth,” All-Star reliever Matt Strahm said. “You could tell how hungry we were when we reported to Clearwater and how we started the season.”

Baseball is too unpredictable a sport to expect a plan drawn up in January or February to actually be executed as intended. But thanks to the support of the club, this was possible.

“There was a realization that we couldn’t wait until June to get started,” Thomson said. “That was among the players, the coaches, the whole organization. It helped.”

“As a team they got it.”

Now, with a team that has set itself up for what could be a championship finish, the front office must decide whether a splashy addition or a quieter trade deadline is the right course of action. Whichever route they choose, the Phillies know they are in an enviable position at a time when many executives are already thinking about next season.

“We’ve been there,” Dombrowski smiled. “This year feels different.”