With the August 3 trade deadline closing in, the Phillies have made their shopping list clear: a right-handed hitting outfielder, at least one more high-leverage bullpen arm (preferably left-handed), and a back-of-the-rotation starter. Dombrowski doesn’t have to look far to find that kind of help. Three of the four teams inside the NL East now have players worth watching, and Philadelphia has already sent scouts to check in person.
The Mets Are Open For Business, And Luis Robert Jr. Fits The Bill
New York’s season has unraveled to the point that the front office has all but waved the white flag. A rival executive told SNY’s Chelsea Janes that everyone on the roster is available except Juan Soto and a handful of untouchable rookies, and center fielder Luis Robert Jr. is definitely available. The switch-hitting Robert has had a rough, injury-shortened season, but he checks a box nobody else on the market really does: a right-handed-hitting, plus-defense center fielder signed beyond this year. The Phillies have been repeatedly connected to him, and it’s easy to see why — it mirrors the 2025 Harrison Bader trade, another buy-low, change-of-scenery play for a talented glove.
The market for Robert has widened, though, which matters for price. Reports now have the Diamondbacks, Astros, Cardinals, Guardians, Orioles, Padres and Rays all involved in a thin center field market alongside the Phillies. Toronto’s Daulton Varsho has emerged as the top rental center fielder available if the Blue Jays keep fading. That gives Philadelphia leverage to walk away if the Mets’ ask gets unreasonable, but it also means Robert may not last long once he shows he’s healthy. Outfielder Tyrone Taylor, also a pending free agent, is another lower-cost Mets piece worth watching as bench depth.
The other item on Philadelphia’s list — a left-handed relief arm — happens to be another Mets strength. Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter, both pending free agents, have quietly been two of the more effective lefty relievers in baseball this season, and both are rentals the Mets figure to move regardless of return. With Brad Keller done for the year and Jose Alvarado, Tanner Banks and Kyle Backhus all fighting inconsistency, a bridge arm from the left side would fix the exact issue that has haunted the Phillies’ bullpen in each of the last three postseasons.
Washington’s Foster Griffin Is Now A Legitimate Phillies Target
The Nationals present the most interesting new wrinkle. Washington has climbed to 54-52, and first-year president of baseball operations Paul Toboni has left the door open to either buying or selling before the deadline. That uncertainty hasn’t stopped rival teams from doing their homework: the Phillies and the Rays each had a scout at Nationals Park over the weekend to watch left-hander Foster Griffin, according to The Athletic’s Spencer Nusbaum.
Griffin’s rise is one of the better stories in baseball this year. The former first-round pick threw all of eight big-league innings before this season, spent three years rebuilding his value in Japan, and has come back as a 30-year-old, All-Star-caliber rookie with a 2.76 ERA, a 22.6 percent strikeout rate and an excellent 5.6 percent walk rate over 124 innings. He’s a free agent after this season, which makes him a rental, and Nusbaum cautioned that the return may be tempered by his underlying metrics and the fact that Griffin is controlled for only the rest of 2026. Still, he would represent a real upgrade over Aaron Nola‘s 5.82 ERA in the back of Philadelphia’s rotation, giving the Phillies a fourth playoff caliber starter behind Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo. The Nationals being only a few games behind Philadelphia in the standings complicates things, but the scouting presence alone signals the Phillies see Griffin as more than a passing thought.
Washington’s CJ Abrams and Luis García Jr. remain names to track if the Nationals fully commit to selling, though neither is as clean a fit at the position level as Griffin is for the rotation.
Atlanta And Miami Aren’t Selling — And Might Be Buying Against The Phillies
The other two NL East clubs offer little in the way of help. The Braves, despite a rough stretch, still sit near the top of the division and are expected to be buyers, chasing starting pitching and offensive depth of their own. The Marlins, riding a strong stretch into Wild Card contention, are reportedly more likely to add than subtract, and are expected to hold onto ace Sandy Alcantara rather than field offers. Neither club figures to help Philadelphia this summer, and both could end up competing with the Phillies for the same rental arms.
The Bottom Line
History suggests the Phillies aren’t afraid of an in-division trade. The Mets’ fire sale gives Dombrowski a similar opportunity closer to home, with Luis Robert Jr. addressing the outfield need and Brooks Raley or A.J. Minter offering a fix for the bullpen. But it’s Washington’s Foster Griffin, now with Phillies scouts confirmed in attendance, who may represent the most realistic in-division answer to Philadelphia’s biggest need of all: a trustworthy fourth starter for October.
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