One month into their 2026 season, the Phillies had the worst record in MLB. They were half a game back of the Mets, who had the second-worst record, and 9.5 back of the Braves, who led the majors in wins. In the 10 weeks since, the Phillies have left the Mets in the dust and climbed within shouting distance of the Braves in the NL East. Their winning percentage in that stretch is .641, a 104-win pace.
The Phillies improved their regular season record and run differential in each of Dave Dombrowski’s first five years as president of baseball operations. Their slow start in 2026 makes that unlikely to happen for a sixth year in a row. Still, there’s little doubt their POBO will be aggressive at the deadline once again. The NL Wild Card standings are crowded, but the Phillies have the wins, they have the talent, and they have every incentive to buy in the coming weeks. A Wild Card berth seems likely, and a third consecutive NL East title is back within reach.
Record: 50-41 (83.9% playoff probability, per FanGraphs)
Buy Mode
Potential needs: Outfield, right-handed bat(s), back-end starter, bullpen depth
There’s one move Dombrowski needs to get right. Or, more accurately, there’s one move Dombrowski needs to make: get right.
The Phillies’ biggest need is a right-handed hitter, ideally one who plays right field. Entering play on Monday, their offense ranked 16th in runs per game, but their 92 wRC+ was 24th. Three lefty bats – Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Brandon Marsh – have done nearly all the work. Philadelphia’s only right-handed hitter with a wRC+ above 80 is recent trade acquisition Derek Hill, whose career numbers and batted ball data suggest his hot streak will be short-lived. Collectively, the team’s right-handed bats rank last in the NL in batting average and last in MLB in OBP, slugging percentage, OPS, and wRC+. Adolis García wasn’t doing much to help the cause before he tore his lat, and with him out for the season, the Phillies have an opening for a new righty bat to take his place.
Right field isn’t the only position where Philadelphia could use some help, but it’s clearly the priority. Justin Crawford hasn’t done anything to cement an everyday role this year, but at least the rookie covers ground in center field. Alec Bohm has a 78 wRC+, same as Crawford, and the third baseman can’t compensate for his shortcomings at the plate with defense or speed. Even so, he offers more upside than the Phillies’ options to patch the hole in right field. Finally, the team hasn’t gotten much production from their shortstop and catcher either, but all they can do there is hope for Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto to turn things around.
If the Phillies only make one addition to their lineup, it should be a righty-batting outfielder. If they make another, it should also be a righty-batting outfielder. The reasoning is simple. They have plenty of room on their bench and a couple of lefty platoon bats currently filling everyday roles. Don Mattingly has tried to shield Crawford from same-handed pitching, but that’s hard without a good enough righty to sub in. As for Marsh, his splits against lefties are still below average, even in a career year. The way he’s hit this season merits a full-time job (142 wRC+ vs. RHP, 95 wRC+ vs. LHP), but his career numbers do not (122 wRC+ vs. RHP, 67 wRC+ vs. LHP). The Phillies could say Marsh is the least of their problems right now, but that might prove shortsighted if his stats against southpaws start to regress.
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