5 Names That Would Fundamentally Change the Phillies Lineup

With the second half of the season beginning after the All-Star Break, not only did the second half begin, but something that could be far more important come the stretch drive of the season. That being auditions.

Auditions for all Major League, as well as Minor League, teams have begun. For sellers, it’s auditions to perform well enough to get sold to a contender. For Buyers, it’s auditions for players to avoid being the victims of replacements being traded for.

Since the deadline is now less than a week away, it is now at a stage where teams ought to begin cementing their plans for the deadline, and then spend the rest of the week actually making trades.

Now the Phillies have holes that need to be solved everywhere. They have an issue in the starting rotation, the bullpen, the lineup, and the bench. Which is certainly an indictment on the roster construction ability of President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski.

The pitching has been discussed extensively, and the whole roster will continue to be discussed as the deadline gets closer and closer. Here, however, the offense will be the focus.

What the first three series out of the break, and pretty much each season since the start of 2023, has shown is that this Phillies roster is far too focused on outslugging their opponent. It is very simply the lone way the lineup attempts to win, and when they fail to outslug and need to play more fundamental baseball to win, they fail to do so and lose.

What every season, especially the postseason, for this core has shown is that the outslug style of play does not solely work. Part of the reason the Dodgers have been so successful, now fighting to acquire a third consecutive World Series title, is because they don’t have to play one style of baseball. It was clearly evident in this past series against the Phillies: fundamentals, some slug, whatever it takes. The Phillies don’t play that way, and if they want to win a title, they need to get closer to the Dodgers in that aspect of being able to pull a win out in several ways.

Here are five names for the lineup and bench that can assist the Phillies in changing their fundamental style of play:

Luis Arraez, IF – San Francisco Giants

The bat that could potentially make the biggest change to the Phillies lineup, in almost all aspects of the game.

Arraez is widely considered the best contact hitter in the league, and he’s showing that with a .327 batting average this season. Not only has his contact remained elite this season, but he has also increased his OPS well into the .800s and has attached solid defense.

His lack of a high OPS and not-so-stellar defense throughout his career diminished his value, especially in the modern game of baseball where defensive struggles can only be mitigated by stellar power, with Kyle Schwarber being the main example.

Arraez is the most coveted rental bat of the year, signed by the Giants in the off-season on a one-year $12 million deal. His contact-first approach would be an immediate game changer for the Phillies, especially if placed behind Bryce Harper at the number four spot in the lineup.

Since Arraez is an infielder, one who can play first, second, and third, this would be a move that the Phillies would have to remove a hitter from their spot in the lineup. If this move is made, Alec Bohm would most likely be the victim of this trade.

An underrated plus for bringing in Arraez is the fact that he is sneakily young, only 29 years old, so would not have concerns of major regression, if any, if resigned. Because of the Aidan Miller injury that has more than likely pushed his development back a year, as well as the potential move off of shortstop for Trea Turner, it is very likely the Phillies will need an infielder this offseason.

Taylor Ward, OF – Baltimore Orioles

Ward has been a common name brought up in trade targets for the Phillies over the last several years. Past years were being a member of bad Angels teams; now a one-year rental on a middling Baltimore Orioles team.

Ward is having a very different season compared to past years. He has historically been in the slugger archetype, high slugging numbers, low average, hitting homers. This season, that has changed. Ward has made a major attempt to get on base more, and it’s worked. He has a league-leading 81 walks; his OBP is a whopping .133 points higher than his batting average, sitting at .386.

His offensive change from slugger to on-base machine is exactly the value the Phillies need. The team lacks an ability to get on base; as a team, they’re ranked last in the league at a .303 OBP. Even if Ward takes a step back on on-base percentage-wise to add more power, say if he dips into the .360s but takes advantage of the shorter left field porch at Citizens Bank Park, that would still be far better than what the Phillies currently have, especially from the right side of the plate.

Jake McCarthy, OF – Colorado Rockies

McCarthy is one of the best options available when it comes to underrated game-changing trades.

He is having a career resurgence in Colorado. So far this season, he has hit to a .298/.340/.502 slash line with a 117 OPS+ and continues to perform stellar defensively.

McCarthy, as of right now, if brought in, would immediately be a viable starter in the lineup. However, has had enough experience being a bench bat that if a new bat came in down the road, whether that’s a prospect or someone brought in during the offseason, he can become a stellar bench outfielder, something the Phillies are missing.

The final great value McCarthy has is that he isn’t a free agent until 2029, so he would be on the Phillies roster for several years, providing, at worst, the bench value Edmundo Sosa has, at best, solid all-around production that has not existed firmly in the outfield.

Dane Myers, OF – Cincinnati Reds

Myers is a somewhat positive member of a bad Cincinnati Reds off-season additions group. Traded over from the Miami Marlins, he historically has been a good defensive outfielder, with experience in all spots, even though this season he’s only been in center field. He also has provided satisfactory offense, holding a .356 OBP and a mid-700s OPS.

If Myers is acquired, the Phillies would have a valuable bench bat for several seasons, still in pre-arbitration and won’t be a free agent till after the 2030 season.

Victor Bericoto, OF/1B – San Francisco Giants

Bericoto is definitely a young player; he’s only 24 years old, in his rookie season, but has performed very well this season, batting to a slash line of .293/.305/.552 and has provided good defense in each spot he’s played this year, which has mainly been the corner outfield spots.

Given how young and solid he’s performing this year, it is very possible that if brought in, he can be a very valuable asset. The two issues for Bericoto currently are the fact that he is young and performing well, but the logjam of outfielders for the Giants might mitigate that risk of being too valuable.

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