The Philadelphia Phillies made some nice moves at the MLB trade deadline, but they're still missing a big piece.
The Philadelphia Phillies definitely made some good moves at the MLB trade deadline, acquiring second baseman Luis Arraez and right-handed reliever Caleb Kilian from the San Francisco Giants before netting lefty reliever Brooks Raley from the New York Mets.
The Phillies desperately needed another bat, and Arraez — a three-time batting champion seeking a fourth title — addresses that. They also required bullpen help, and Kilian and Raley will certainly help fortify the bridge to Jhoan Duran.
But Philadelphia missed on a very important piece: a starting pitcher.
We know the Phillies' starting rotation has a terrific top three. Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo comprise one of the best 1-2-3 punches in baseball. Beyond that, though, it becomes more than questionable.
Aaron Nola has been dreadful for two seasons in a row. Andrew Painter is back up now, and he did pitch well in his first big-league start since being recalled. But his first 14 outings of 2026 were awful (7.06 ERA).
Does Philadelphia really trust Nola and Painter the rest of the way?
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola. Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images.Well, at this point, the Phillies don't have much of a choice. They have to roll with those two, unless they are able to find someone on the waiver wire. Or if they get creative internally (which doesn't seem very likely).
Yes, one can make the argument that you really only need three good starters in a playoff series, but Philadelphia needs to get to the postseason first. And with how shaky the starting rotation has been outside of its top three, October is no guarantee.
Adding Kilian and Raley to the pen will certainly help. Don Mattingly can now more comfortably make a call to his relievers if his starters falter. But you also can't burn your relief arms out, either.
The Phillies didn't surrender any truly significant prospects in their trades with the Giants and the Mets. They had leftover pieces — albeit, not many — to try and acquire another starter. They were apparently in on Robbie Ray, but he ended up going to San Diego.
There is no doubt that Philadelphia got better on Monday. Arraez will take a load of pressure off of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, and the bullpen is now significantly deeper — and better.
But you do kind of get the feeling that the Phillies are just a bit short right now, and their lack of rotation depth could ultimately be their undoing.
