Philadelphia Phillies Trade Deadline Plan Is to Stack up Against Atlanta Braves

The Philadelphia Phillies trade deadline focus is to add an addition to help beat the Atlanta Braves.

Jul 13, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Taylor Ward #3 of the Los Angeles Angels gestures to the dugout after a double in the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies could have a much different look to their roster in the coming weeks, as they're looking to upgrade the team in a big way. Over the past month and a half, the Phillies have been linked to some of the top names in baseball on multiple occasions.

Dave Dombrowski has never been afraid to go out and do everything he can to better this roster, and with a chance to win the World Series, that won't change.

The question for Philadelphia then becomes who's out there, and who makes sense for them? Is a name like Luis Robert Jr. even realistic? Would a player like Taylor Ward do the trick for a cheaper package?

The focus has been on upgrading in center field, and there might not be two players better on the market than Ward and Robert to do just that.

According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Dombrowski and the Phillies have casted a wide net. They're searching all over to improve and want to do so for one major reason.

Gelb wrote that every move that Philadelphia makes in the next few weeks will be to improve their roster for October, specifically against the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves have two of the top left-handed pitchers in baseball in Max Fried and Chris Sale. If they run into one another again in the postseason, it's not an easy series, no matter who gets added.

However, they have to make sure that they're well prepared against them, at the very least.

"The Phillies remain committed to developing both Marsh and Rojas. The path of least resistance is acquiring a better fourth outfielder to protect them in October,

"Every transaction this month must be viewed with an October lens: The Phillies are addressing a specific scenario — a potential postseason series against the Atlanta Braves with lefties Max Fried andChris Sale starting numerous games," Gelb wrote.

Ultimately, any move they make is to win the World Series. However, to get to that point of the year, they'll likely have to take on Atlanta.

It's all but guaranteed that they'll upgrade the outfield with a right-handed bat; it just remains to be seen who it'll be.

Ward has 14 home runs and is slashing .228/.312/.401 with an OPS+ of 98. However, he's just two years removed from a 134 OPS+ season.

Robert has had a relatively quiet year for his standards, slashing .236/.313/.491 with 11 home runs. He's only appeared in 43 games, which is why the numbers are somewhat down, but that's the reality of trading for him.

The All-Star has dealt with multiple injuries, which brings a big risk if they expect him to be healthy in October.