What a perfect Phillies trade deadline looks like

The Philadelphia Phillies are sitting pretty. With the National League's best record, a sturdy lineup, and the best starting rotation in Major League Baseball, one might think there's not much this team needs to do at the trade deadline.

But sometimes being good is the enemy of being great, and as close as the Phillies have come the past couple of seasons to winning a World Series, they should be looking for every edge to push themselves over the top. They have some obvious deficiencies, and luckily, general manager Dave Dombrowski has proven over the years that he will go above and beyond to address those issues.

Today, let's examine a best-case scenario for the Phillies at the 2024 trade deadline. For the Phils to earn themselves an A+ grade on post-deadline report cards, here are the moves they absolutely must make.

Acquire White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr.

Let's start with the blockbuster. This is going to be a competitive deadline for buyers and whoever lands the biggest names, especially among position players, will earn a big leg up on their fellow contenders because of the short supply. Luis Robert Jr. figures to possibly be the only star outfielder up for grabs, so the Phillies could send a powerful message to the league by winning the Robert sweepstakes.

Now that Johan Rojas has been optioned to Triple-A, it's clear that trading for a center fielder is priority one for Dombrowski and the Phils. Brandon Marsh is a great platoon left fielder but won't provide as much value at a more premium defensive position in center. Bringing in Robert, who would lengthen the lineup considerably while improving the lefty-righty balance, would be the best possible thing the Phillies could do for their offense at the moment.

The Phillies have a trio of premier prospects in Andrew Painter, Mick Abel, and Aidan Miller. Acquiring Robert would require giving up a minimum of one of those three and possibly a second. But it's worth the gamble because Robert fits the Phillies' current title window. All that matters is getting a ring in the Bryce Harper era and with two remaining years of team control, Robert maximizes Philly's chances of doing exactly that.

Acquire Marlins relief pitcher Tanner Scott

The Phillies don't have one of the worst bullpens in the league by any stretch of the imagination. At the same time, they haven't been particularly efficient in closing out games, ranking tied for seventh most blown saves at 12. Jose Alvarado has been the de facto closer all season, but whether he pitches the seventh, eighth, or ninth inning, adding the Miami Marlins' Tanner Scott would shore up the bullpen in a big way.

Scott broke out last year in his age-28 season, putting up a 2.31 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 78 innings. This year, he's been similarly effective, with a 1.80 ERA and 33 punchouts in 30 innings. When you look across the National League, you see a bunch of tough left-handed hitters, from Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman to Matt Olson to Christian Yelich. Lefties are batting .111 with a .185 slugging percentage against Scott, so having him would be enormous in high-leverage situations in the playoffs.

Unlike Robert, Scott is a true rental with virtually no chance of returning to his current team, so as valuable as he could be to a contending team's bullpen, acquiring him shouldn't break the bank. Miami will listen to offers right up until the deadline to make sure they are getting the best possible package. The Phillies just need to outbid the rest of the contenders looking for lefty relief, which deep farm systems and a clear championship window allow them to do.

Acquire Nationals starting pitcher Trevor Williams

We made two trades that are both crucial and realistic, but now it's time to swing for the home run. Perhaps the Washington Nationals would be reluctant to trade Trevor Williams to their division foes in Philadelphia, but right now, it's something of a question as to whether they will sell at all. If they do end up following that course, they shouldn't be concerned about having to face Williams this season, considering he's a rental who likely wasn't re-signing with the Nats anyway.

The starting rotation is the greatest strength the Phillies have going for them, except for perhaps the brilliance of Bryce Harper. But the Phillies know that in the postseason, you take back-of-the-rotation starting pitchers and turn them into long relievers. They have Taijuan Walker and Spencer Turnbull as options now, but Williams has stuff that might tick up more in a relief role.

Since implementing a sweeper midway through 2023, Williams has been dominant. Hitters have a .107 batting average and .143 slugging percentage in 33 plate appearances ending in a Williams sweeper this season. His 90-mph average fastball could tick up to 93 or 94 in a one-inning situation and with the sweeper to tunnel off that heater, Williams could be the surprise bullpen weapon that Rob Thomson needs to secure a ring.