With the trade deadline looming, Bryce Harper says Phillies ‘need some help’
The Phillies star was candid after a loss to the Marlins, which cemented a fourth straight series loss. So does he think they need an arm or a bat?
MIAMI — With the MLB trade deadline days away, Bryce Harper believes the Phillies have some shopping to do.
Tuesday night’s 1-0 loss to the Marlins marked the club’s fourth consecutive series loss after the All-Star break, and it came against a team that had lost 12 straight games until it met the Phillies. Afterward, Harper was straightforward about how he views the club entering Monday’s trade deadline.
“I think we need some help,” he said. “I think we’ve proved pretty much all year, we’ve done a pretty good job, but anytime you can get some help in here and reinforcements, I think it helps.”
It’s no secret that the Phillies need a right-handed hitting outfielder. The Phillies’ current crop of righty bats have a .221 batting average and .640 OPS, which rank last in baseball. They also have struggled for most of the season against left-handed pitching.
But the Phillies’ lack of pitching depth, in the rotation and bullpen, also has become magnified. The team has lost the last 11 games started by the No. 5 spot in their rotation, while the bullpen has been a revolving door of struggles and injuries.
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Both of Dave Dombrowski’s major offseason adds, Adolis García (right latissimus dorsi tear) and Brad Keller (UCL tear in his right elbow), are out for the year because of injury.
When asked whether the help would be best in the form of an arm or a bat, Harper’s answer was straightforward.
“I think both,” he said. “I think obviously everybody knows what we need. ... We need both.”
Is he confident the Phillies will have reinforcements in both come Monday night?
“I don’t know. We’ll see,” he said. “I mean, that’s a Dave question. So, yeah, I mean, we’ll see.”
Jim Bowden spent 16 years as a general manager with the Reds and Nationals before becoming an MLB analyst and commentator. And with the trade deadline approaching — Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. — he joined Phillies Extra to discuss the Phillies’ needs, some potential targets, and what it’s like to be a GM in the frenzied days leading up to the deadline. Watch here.
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