MLB Trade Deadline Showdown: Which Blockbuster Moves Will Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, and Astros Risk to Dominate the Season?
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Philadelphia Phillies: Relief pitching
Let’s stay in the bullpen and turn our focus to the NL East leaders in Philadelphia. At their best, the Phillies boast a lineup loaded with veteran star power and one of the best rotations in baseball, even without meaningful contributions from staff mainstay Aaron Nola due to underperformance and, more recently, injury. Those foundational pillars of the Philadelphia roster remain enviable, but a rickety bullpen threatens to undermine this team’s potential in a maddening way if it does not get upgraded before the deadline. Jordan Romano has thus far been an insufficient-to-unreliable replacement for the departed Jeff Hoffman. Orion Kerkering has shown flashes but remains volatile. Matt Strahm has been solid, but not nearly as dominant as in his All-Star season a year ago. Key lefty reliever Jose Alvarado could return from his PED suspension at the end of August, but he’ll be ineligible to participate in the postseason. It’s simply not a strong group as things stand.
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