Philadelphia Phillies Criticized for Lack of Moves During Trade Deadline

The Philadelphia Phillies could regret not doing more during the trade deadline.

Jul 30, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) with Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3) on first base after his single during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies didn't have a bad trade deadline, but there's a feeling around baseball that they could've done more.

As the Phillies saw with the Carlos Estevez trade, prices were outrageous. If they were going to make another move, they would've likely had to move a few other top prospects in their system. While prospect hugging often isn't a good idea, especially for a team with World Series aspirations, it's tough to blame them for not moving big hauls for marginal upgrades.

In a few months, there's a chance that Philadelphia is going to look back and regret not doing more. However, only time will tell on that, and as currently constructed, there might not be a better team in baseball, so winning the World Series is certainly still a possibility.

If there was one team in baseball that didn't need to make as many moves as other teams, it was the Phillies. While that's not always the best approach to the trade deadline, they still have to feel confident about what they've been able to do on the field. They've struggled a bit in recent weeks, but every team goes through a rough patch at some point.

Despite the reality of the situation being that they had enough to win the World Series before the trade deadline, they've still been criticized for some of the moves that they didn't make. Many around the industry feel that they could've done more, including Andy McCullough of The Athletic, who named their deadline a "snoozer."

"Maybe this is a harsh assessment. The Phillies did not really need to do much. The team has been baseball’s best for a month. Dave Dombrowski used this deadline to improve the bullpen and the outfield.

"He paid a hefty price for Angels reliever Carlos Estévez and made a nifty swap with Baltimore for outfielder Austin Hays. Good deals. Given the opportunity in front of the Phillies this year, he could have done more. But that might have been unnecessary. The club looks geared up for another deep postseason run despite a recent losing stretch."

As he alluded to, Philadelphia didn't need to do as much as some might have thought. They did, however, have the prospects to make a big deal if they wanted to. That likely didn't present itself, as Dave Dombrowski, one of the top executives in Major League Baseball, has been aggressive during his tenure in the league. It's safe to say he would've done so again if he had the opportunity.