The Philadelphia Phillies are officially into the second half of their schedule, and although their return from the break didn’t get off to an encouraging start with a defeat at the hands of the New York Mets, the organization still carries plenty of optimism about what lies ahead.
After digging themselves into a deep hole early on, the Phillies managed to fight back from 10 games below sea level to re-enter the thick of postseason contention. Philadelphia now has a legitimate shot at tracking down the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, and there’s no shortage of positive elements surrounding this roster.
With a handful of All-Stars having just represented the club at the midsummer classic, Philadelphia certainly doesn’t want for high-end talent. Even so, there are still certain spots on the roster that could stand to be reinforced prior to the trade deadline.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently put together a piece highlighting several All-Stars who could find themselves on the move this summer. One of the names that surfaced was Foster Griffin, and somewhat unexpectedly, the Phillies were floated as a possible landing spot.
Rotation Help Isn’t the Top Priority
While adding a back-end starter to the rotation might be a legitimate consideration, pursuing someone of Griffin’s caliber could be overkill. The southpaw has turned in a remarkable campaign for the Washington Nationals, carrying a 10-2 record with a 2.77 ERA across 19 starts.
Still, even though he would unquestionably upgrade the starting staff, there are other areas that figure to be more urgent for the front office to tackle.
With Brad Keller recently going down with an injury, the Phillies’ bullpen has been thrown into flux. This was a relief corps that already had a clear need for a left-handed arm even before Keller’s setback; now the urgency to add another high-leverage option has only intensified.
On top of that, despite having three All-Star position players in the lineup, adding another bat—preferably one who hits from the right side would be a smart move. Trea Turner catching fire could certainly help steady the offense at various points, but bringing in an additional outfielder capable of contributing at the plate would make plenty of sense.
As for the rotation, landing an All-Star like Griffin would give the team another quality weapon. Yet with limited trade assets at their disposal, the Phillies have to be strategic about where they allocate their resources.
Aaron Nola has shown some improvement on the mound in recent outings, and the club is also keeping an eye on Andrew Painter’s progress in the minors, with hopes that he could make his way back to the big leagues at some point this summer.
All things considered, while Griffin is enjoying a strong season and would bring value to the roster, Philadelphia is unlikely to make that particular move their primary focus.
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