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The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the winningest teams in MLB for the past four seasons, but they haven't quite gotten over the hump yet. However, the Phillies, like in every season, believe that 2025 is their year. They are certainly going for a World Series title, as evidenced by their blockbuster trade for one of the best relievers in baseball, Jhoan Duran.
While the Phillies had to trade away two of their top-five prospects in the deal, catcher Eduardo Tait and starting pitcher Mick Abel, they are getting one of the most explosive, hard-throwing relievers in MLB history. Duran touches 100 on the regular, and on the season, he has a 2.01 ERA and 16 saves — fortifying Philadelphia's late-game relief situation and giving them their closer for the foreseeable future.
But it doesn't seem as though the Phillies are done making moves. According to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski (via Alex Coll of 94WIP), the Phillies are not yet done making moves, particularly when it comes to adding a hitter to their roster.
Indeed, the Phillies' lineup could use a bit of juice. According to the wRC+ stat, the Phillies only have five players producing above the league average in runs. Meanwhile, a few of their key players, such as JT Realmuto and Alec Bohm have a wRC+ below 100, while the likes of Max Kepler and Bryson Stott have not been very good at the plate.
In the outfield is where the Phillies need the most help. Brandon Marsh has been hitting better as of late, but Kepler and Johan Rojas are better suited as bench pieces instead of everyday players. It shouldn't come as a shock if the Phillies pull off another trade, this time for a hard-hitting outfielder to help shore up this area of need.
Phillies lose two out of three against the White Sox
Perhaps this latest series will be a wake-up call for the Phillies. While the Chicago White Sox aren't as bad as they were last year, they are still one of the worst teams in MLB. For the Phillies to lose two out of three against them should prompt some soul-searching and instill a greater sense of urgency in the team's front office.
At the end of the day, the Phillies will be needing their everyday players to regress positively to the mean, unless they pull off a bonkers trade for one of the best bats that could be available on the market before the trade deadline passes.
