5 Players Philadelphia Phillies Should Pursue Before Trade Deadline

Five players the Philadelphia Phillies should pursue before the MLB Trade Deadline

With under a week until the MLB Trade Deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies find themselves on the outside of the playoff race.

They are 12 games back of the NL East division leading Atlanta Braves and trail the Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants by a half game in the Wild Card race.

Philadelphia has been looking at upgrades, specifically for their outfield which has been poor on the defensive end. Randal Grichuk, Tommy Pham, Cody Bellinger and others have all been rumored to be targets of the Phillies.

Pitching could also be an area that the front office eyes as well. Upgrading the back end of the starting rotation and bullpen have been rumored to be positions monitored by Philadelphia.

With a seemingly robust market for buying teams, here are the five players that the Phillies should go after before the August 1st deadline.

5. Randal Grichuk - Colorado Rockies

• One of the recent players in the rumor mill has been the Rockies' outfielder Grichuk. In 59 games this season, he's hitting .309/.368/.482 with six home runs and 25 RBI. The right hander would be a defensive upgrade in the outfield as well with Kyle Schwarber moving to the designated hitter role. As an impending free agent, Grichuk is a rental piece that would add depth to the Philadelphia lineup.

4. Juan Soto - San Diego Padres

• It doesn't seem like the Padres are ready to give up on the season. Sitting at 48-53, they are 11 games back from the division leading Los Angeles Dodgers. Soto would be a huge upgrade for the Phillies. The left handed outfielder is hitting .264/.419/.499 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI in 102 games. If there's a chance to acquire the 24-year-old superstar, Philadelphia should go after him as hard as they can.

3. Marcus Stroman - Chicago Cubs

• Pitching is clearly further down the list than trying to upgrade the outfield, but the play of Stroman this season has made him a big target before the deadline. The right handed ace has a 10-7 record with a 3.09 ERA. As an impending free agent after the season, he will be a rental for every team who acquires him. If the Phillies think he substantially upgrades their playoff chances this season, a package of prospects could get him at the deadline.

2. Teoscar Hernandez - Seattle Mariners

• Entering Tuesday, the Mariners are sitting at .500 and nine games out first place in their division. Five games out of the last Wild Card spot, Seattle could try to recoup assets for the right handed outfielder Hernandez who becomes a free agent after the season. Hitting .242/.293/.421 with 16 home runs and 55 RBI, Hernandez would provide pop from the outfield position and be an effective bat against left handed pitching. 

1. Cody Bellinger - Chicago Cubs

• The best option for Philadelphia would be to acquire the former MVP Bellinger at the trade deadline. He plays multiple positions in the outfield as a plus defender and is hitting for his career best average with a slash line of .319/.369/.549 along with 14 home runs and 44 RBI. The left handed batter will be a free agent after the season. The Phillies should make Bellinger number one on their priority list ahead of the trade deadline.