2 sneaky Phillies’ 2026 MLB trade deadline targets to chase

The Philadelphia Phillies got off to a brutal start this year that could have scuttled the team’s hopes to play postseason baseball and challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves for National League superiority. However, just when it seemed the Phillies had dug a hole that was too deep to escape, the Phillie fired manager Rob Thomson and brought in Don Mattingly.

Whether Mattingly has the magic touch or the Phillies just woke up when they needed to turn things around, the team is back in the playoff picture. While the Phillies (44-36) are 5 games behind the first-place Braves, they are the No. 1 Wild Card team in the National League. The St. Louis Cardinals (42-35) are right on their heels, and both are being chased by the streaky Chicago Cubs.

The San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks are trying to chase those three Wild Card teams down. The Phillies are clearly in a good position and while they are an explosive team at the plate — thanks largely to Kyle Schwarber and his major-league leading 29 homers — they are a team that should address key issues if they are going to make the playoffs and have a chance to go deep.

Phillies have to address pitching issues

The biggest issues are on the mound and in the outfield. The Phillies rank 13th in earned run average and they need solid pitcher to solidify their chances.

The Phillies have one of the best No. 1 starters in either league in Christopher Sanchez. He has a 9-3 record with a scintillating 1.80 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 105.0 inning. Zack Wheeler has also performed extremely well since his return from thoracic outlet decompression surgery. He has a 7-1 record with a 2.11 ERA along with 69 strikeouts in 68.1 innings.

Perhaps Jesus Luzardo or Aaron Nola can turn things around, but neither one has shown consistency to this point. But it’s clear that if they want to solidify their starters, they should make a deal. Sonny Gray of the Boston Red Sox could turn out to be the ideal trade candidate.

Sonny Gray would be a great fit for the Phillies

Gray is in his first year with the disappointing Red Sox and he has had the best year of anyone on the team. Gray was traded to the Red Sox by the St. Louis Cardinals early in the offseason, and he appeared to be a key pickup for a team that was a playoff team a year ago.

However, the Red Sox have been brutal this year. They have had key injuries to left-handed power pitcher Garrett Crochet and phenom slugger Roman Anthony. They also failed to sign free agent third baseman Alex Bregman and their lineup has not provided power or key hits with runners in scoring position.

Despite those issues, Gray has been fantastic. He has a 9-1 record with a 2.95 ERA while delivering nine quality starts among the 14 times he took the mound. He is not a power pitcher, as he has 66 strikeouts in 76.1 innings, but he has baffled hitters and he has gotten batters out by forcing soft contact.

The 36-year-old Gray is in his 14th big-league season and he has a no-trade clause in his contract, but he has indicated recently that he may be willing to allow a trade. The Phillies would be a great fit for him.

Red Sox may also have a solution to Phillies’ outfield issues

The Red Sox have had a glut of outfielders all season. At the start of the year, former Boston manager Alex Cora wanted to play Anthony in the outfield every day. That plan went out the window when Cora was fired in late April. Anthony suffered his hand/wrist injury shortly after Chad Tracy took over as manager, and he has not been able to return since.

The Red Sox have outfielders Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida. Duran has struggled much of the year with a slash line of .199/.258/.366, but he was the All-Star Game MVP in 2024 and he is an all-out hustler on the base paths. He had a brutal April and that has also been the case in June, but he had a brilliant month of May in which he hit 9 of his 12 home runs.

He has been involved in trade rumors since the 2025 season, and a move to a prime contender like the Phillies could leads to a fresh start. There’s a ton of pressure on Duran in Boston, and it would be far less in a lineup with Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh.

Duran could serve as a trigger on an offense that is already explosive, and he could be the player that ensures a trip back into the playoffs for the Phillies.

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