Break time — as in the four-day All-Star hiatus — is over. The MLB draft? Also over. The trade deadline is 18 days away, and it’s no longer “too early,” nor are there too many distractions, to pull focus from the last best chance for teams to improve their rosters for a playoff push.
Entering the weekend, the Phillies were on an 87-win pace, which would match their total from last year. But the offense can use a jolt. The Phillies scored 4.51 runs per game in the first half, a shade below league average . They ranked 18th in homers . And while they expect Harper to start hitting home runs again and Trea Turner to just hit consistently, they also could use more power from the right side of the plate.Adam Duvall
Oh, and Duvall bashed 16 homers and slugged .513 after being acquired at the deadline in 2021 by the World Series-winning Braves.It would be one thing for the Angels to hold Ohtani, especially if Moreno thinks he has even the slightest chance of re-signing him. But after losing nine of 10 games — and Mike Trout to a broken hamate bone in his left hand, near the wrist — before the break, there’s not much point to keeping Renfroe.
But the Cardinals don’t do rebuilds. They’re headed for their first losing season since 2007, which stands as their only losing season since 1999. And they play in a weak division. It isn’t in their DNA to trade Goldschmidt or Arenado. They’re more likely to keep building around them.First-round pick Aidan Miller ready to get to work with the Phillies: ‘It’s really a perfect scenario’
On one hand, Thomas turns 28 next month and is under club control through 2025 for what figures to be reasonable money. On the other, he’s having the best year of his career, with 14 homers and a .497 slugging percentage entering the weekend, and could’ve easily been an All-Star.Clearwater is winning like no other team in baseball, and building a culture for the Phillies’ future