The Philadelphia Phillies season has already been a rollercoaster with a slow start that led to Manager Joe Girardi being fired. That turned the tide as the Phillies are 27-14 since and are entering the All-Star Break with a 49-43 record and in the third wild card spot. The playoff push is here, and that means being buyers at the Aug. 2 trade deadline. Here are three trade targets the Phillies should pursue at the deadline.
Jose Iglesias
With Jean Segura on the IL with a broken finger and Nick Maton on the IL with a shoulder injury, the Phillies could use another middle infield piece. Jose Iglesias, a nine-year vet, makes sense for a couple reasons. He’ll hit the free agent market after this year, which means the cost to get him will have the half-season rental discount. Iglesias could fit at second, third and shortstop, giving the Phillies a lot of options. Even though he’s not what he used to be on defense, he is still a plus defender and could hopefully help the younger guys like Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott develop on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, Iglesias is having one of his best seasons at the plate batting .301 and has the highest OPS of his career right now at .746.
Ian Happ
Center field has been a problem for the Phillies for the past year, so it makes sense to go after a guy with some team control. Ian Happ, who was elected to the All-Star Game, would fix the problem for the rest of this year and next year. Another plus defender, Happ is a left fielder but has plenty of experience in center along with at second base, so he could address two of the Phillies’ needs. The switch-hitter is batting and getting on-base at a higher clip than the rest of his career, and with more protection for him in the Phillies lineup, the slugging percentage could rise if traded to Philadelphia.
Victor Robles
If the Phillies don’t want to make the home run move for Happ, they could look no further than in their division. It’s no secret that the Phillies are one of the worst defensive teams in baseball. Victor Robles is in his sixth year in the big leagues and even though he has struggled offensively, he would be a critical boost defensively. According to Baseball Savant, Robles has the tenth highest catch probability. Kyle Schwarber is ranked 94th, which is dead last out of all qualifying outfielders, and Nick Castellanos is 92nd. They could definitely use a center fielder that can cover a little extra ground, something Robles provides.