Trade Deadline Preview: Philadelphia Phillies

Jun 26, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Ben Revere (2) makes a diving catch for an out during the second inning of a game against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Needs to be addressed:

1. The outfield.

Revere may have a .284 batting average on the year, but his .304 on base percentage and .349 slugging percentage leave little to be desired. The Phillies took a gamble on acquiring him from Minnesota thinking that he’d hit enough to balance out the lack of power, but even after Revere hit the first home run of his career earlier this season there is just little there worth getting excited over. The fielder flanking him in the outfield have been even more of a disappointment. Domonic Brown is proving that 2013’s All Star performance may have been a fluke and despite having the second most home runs on the team there is little value that Marlon Byrd is bringing to the mix. Philadelphia’s biggest problem, however, is that there is little depth behind these three – both in terms of bench players this year and potential starters next year and beyond.

2. Starting pitching.

Hamels and Lee are the only starters producing at a high rate and there are hardly any guarantees that both will still be around a season from now. The Phillies need to establish some depth around them. A.J. Burnett hasn’t been able to replicate the success he found a season ago with the Pirates. Kyle Kendrick and Roberto Hernandez have been massive disappointments. The team’s big offseason addition, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, has been plagued with injuries and has thrown just 2.2 IP in the minor leagues. The organization’s top pitching prospect entering the season, Jesse Biddle, has yet to show much improvement in his second go-around at Double-A and can hardly be counted on moving forward.

3. Experience in the bullpen.

Papelbon appears to be a likely trade candidate and while the team could benefit from moving his high salary, the move would leave little in terms of experience in the bullpen. Justin De Fratus, Mario Hollands, and Ken Giles have emerged as what appear to be decent bullpen arms but none have much MLB experience under their belts and only Giles would seem to have the makeup to handle the late innings with consistency. Should the team move Papelbon, that’d leave Antonio Bastardo as the longest tenured healthy member of the bullpen and he’s primarily spent his career as a lefty specialist.