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Eight Bats the Phillies Could Target on Deadline Day
By Luke Arcaini
Published:
The trade deadline is six hours away, and Dave Dombrowski is still eying up a bat.
Dombrowski spoke to reporters following the Phillies’ series loss to the White Sox on Wednesday night, and while he did say that they’re probably finished adding to their bullpen, they’re still in the market for a player to upgrade their lineup.
Eugenio Suarez was traded back to the Seattle Mariners late Wednesday night, so the dream acquisition is now off of the board. But the Phillies still have options.
Steven Kwan
Kwan isn’t the perfect fit, but he’s a damn good baseball player. Kwan is a left-handed hitting outfielder, who spends most of his time in left field. Dombrowski said on Wednesday that a right-handed bat would be their “preference,” but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t go after a lefty.
Kwan doesn’t crush 30 homers a year, but he does everything else. He has a 3.1 WAR through 102 games in 2025, slashing .286/.350/.408 with a .758 OPS. People don’t like to hear this, but he’s one of the guys that you have to just watch play, rather than stalk his Baseball Reference page.
If the Phillies acquire Kwan, he’d probably hit leadoff.. Kwan/Turner/Harper/Schwarber would probably be the top of the lineup, with Schwarber being the protection behind Harper that we’ve been looking for.
Luis Robert Jr.
The name that we’ve heard linked to the Phillies for the last three years actually feels real this time:
Robert isn’t having a great year, hitting .213/.300/.353 with a .653 OPS. He’s got 11 homers, 43 RBIs, 27 stolen bases, and 98 strikeouts in 88 games. Robert Jr. has a $20M club option next season, and I’d be shocked if the team who acquires him picks that up, barring some insane run over the next few months of the season.
Why would Robert make sense? He crushes lefties from the right side of the plate. The 27-year-old is hitting .297/.422/.568 with a .990 OPS against left-handed pitching this year.
1 of 3 Cardinals Hitters
A new report came out on Thursday morning, saying that the Phillies have checked in with the St. Louis Cardinals on a trio of hitters:
Nootbar, 27, is hitting .227/.332/.381 with a .712 OPS in 2025. He has a .767 OPS against righties, and a .612 OPS against lefties. The Phillies struggle immensely against lefties, so this doesn’t make a ton of sense.
Donovan has played 83 games at second base this year, along with 18 games in left and six games at shortstop. He’s accumulated a 2.4 WAR in 101 games with 24 doubles, hitting .285/.358/.416 with a .774 OPS. Donovan is raking against righties, but like Nootbar, struggles against lefties, hitting just .220.
Burleson is a 26-year-old who has spent most of his time in the corner outfield and at first base in 2025. Burleson has yet to even hit arbitration, hitting .287/.341/.469 with an .809 OPS, but he’s hitting just .229 with a .603 OPS against left-handed pitching this year.
Ramon Laureano
I’ve wanted Ramon Laureano for a month and a half, and it’s starting to make more and more sense the closer we get to 6:00 EST.
Laureano has been a bright spot on a brutal Orioles team, hitting .290/.355/.529 with a .884 OPS and 15 homers. Laureano’s market is hot because his splits don’t drastically fall off. He has a .930 OPS against righties, and an .801 OPS against lefties.
He’s not the flashiest name, but he’s instantly have the 2nd-best OPS on the team, only behind Kyle Schwarber. He would immediately be an upgrade to this Phillies lineup, and he can play both of the corner outfield positions:
Harrison Bader
Bader has accumulated a 2.5 WAR in 271 ABs this year for the Twins with a .258 batting average and 12 homers. He’s played 70 games in left field and 33 games in center, and is hitting .241 with a .774 OPS against left-handed pitching. He could absolutely be an option for the Phillies.
Alex Call
Matt Gelb of The Athletic is reporting that the Phillies have interest in Alex Call, a right-handed hitting outfielder from the Washington Nationals.
Call, 30, is under contract through the 2029 season. He’s hitting .274 this season with a .756 OPS, and is slashing .314/.359/.443 against lefties with an .802 OPS. He’s played all three outfield spots this season, and could be a potential bench/platoon option with Justin Crawford, who could come up after the deadline.
Luke Arcaini writes about the Phillies for Crossing Broad, covers the Phillies for FOX Sports The Gambler, and co-hosts "Phillies Digest" on YouTube. The wave is the worst thing in all of sports. Contact: lukearcaini8@gmail.com