\u00bb READ MORE: Mets\u2019 Bo Bichette says he wasn\u2019t on the verge of signing with the Phillies in the offseason<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s where the details get fuzzy. Phillies owner John Middleton<\/a> says he went to sleep on Jan. 15 believing Bichette was coming<\/a> to Philly; Bichette claims a deal was never that imminent<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought it was an opportunity, for sure,\u201d he said. \u201cBut there was definitely things that needed to be worked out for that to become a possibility. So, no, I didn\u2019t think that [it was close].\u201d<\/p>\n In any case, Bichette is in town this weekend with the rival Mets, who swooped in with a short-term (three years), high-salary ($126 million) deal with two opt-outs. And not that anyone has forgotten, the visit is a helpful reminder that the Phillies still are searching for a big right-handed bat.<\/p>\n The trade deadline is six weeks away \u2014 6 p.m. on Aug. 3, if you want to set a calendar reminder. It\u2019s a long way from here to there. The market hasn\u2019t taken shape and likely won\u2019t for a while. <\/p>\n Entering the weekend, 12 National League teams and 11 in the American League were no more than three games out of a playoff spot. Some are more realistic contenders than others; none is ready to wave the white flag.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s pretty quiet right now,\u201d Phillies general manager Preston Mattingly said this week on Phillies Extra, The Inquirer\u2019s baseball podcast. \u201cYou\u2019re talking to teams and checking in, and we\u2019re having conversations to kind of lay some groundwork. But pretty quiet right now.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure over the next two to three weeks to one month, things will start to pick up a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Is there a better duo in baseball than Zack Wheeler and Cristopher S\u00e1nchez? We asked the experts.<\/a><\/p>\n The Phillies made a small trade last week<\/a> to address a lack of outfield depth after losing Adolis Garc\u00eda to a season-ending muscle tear near his right shoulder. They sent two minor leaguers to the White Sox for platoon outfielder Derek Hill.<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible they will have to make a similar trade for starting pitching depth after demoting Andrew Painter<\/a> to triple A with a 7.06 ERA<\/a>.<\/p>\n But the deadline represents a chance to take a bigger swing. And the perception within the sport, based on conversations with league sources, is that the Phillies are prioritizing a right-handed hitter for the top half of the order to offset lefty-swinging Bryce Harper<\/a>, Kyle Schwarber<\/a>, and Brandon Marsh<\/a>.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a still-too-early dive into a few players who may be available before the deadline by dividing them into categories:<\/p>\n Non-outfield options<\/p>\n The outfield is the most obvious place for the Phillies to add a hitter.<\/p>\n Unless \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve said it multiple years before \u2014 and this year, still \u2014 for the right player, I would do it,” Harper said of moving back to right field. \u201cI mean, that\u2019s as real as it gets. I don\u2019t want to do it long-term. But if the right player comes along and that\u2019s what we need, or if that\u2019s what we want, I\u2019d be open to it at any point.\u201c<\/p>\n Could the right player be Willson Contreras? Or fellow first baseman Christian Walker? The free-falling Red Sox could move Contreras, who is under contract next year for $18.5 million. Astros owner Jim Crane once vowed to never be a seller. But if Houston keeps fading, Walker and third baseman Isaac Paredes could bring value.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Rhys Hoskins\u2019 injury was a sliding door moment in Phillies history. And it still \u2018kind of eats at\u2019 Bryce Harper.<\/a><\/p>\n Harper hasn\u2019t played right field since April 2022, when he tore a ligament in his right elbow. He moved to first base a year later.<\/p>\n \u201cI still feel like I can throw a baseball from right field, and I can catch a fly ball,\u201d Harper said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time. But, yeah, I would do it in a heartbeat for us to win a World Series<\/a>, without a doubt.\u201d <\/p>\n But the Phillies didn\u2019t take Harper up on his previous offers, and it doesn\u2019t sound like they\u2019re about to start.<\/p>\n \u201cI know he\u2019s always been very open-minded to trying to help the organization however he can, but we haven\u2019t talked to him,\u201d Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski<\/a> said this week. \u201cAnd I really don\u2019t contemplate it because I really like the way he goes about his business at first base. \u2026 I\u2019m looking at him as being a first baseman.\u201d<\/p>\n Midrange outfield targets<\/p>\n Drafted a year apart, Marsh and Jo Adell came through the minors together with the Angels and became close friends.<\/p>\n What if they were reunited with the Phillies?<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019d be kind of a cool reunion if they could get Jo there,\u201d former Angels manager Joe Maddon said on a recent episode of Phillies Extra<\/a>. \u201cBecause that man\u2019s got some power.\u201d <\/p>\n Indeed, Adell broke out last season with 37 homers and a .778 OPS. The 27-year-old\u2019s production has dipped (10 homers, .683 OPS through Thursday) and isn\u2019t helped by a 2.9% walk rate that ranks among the lowest in the majors. <\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Bryce Harper will consider competing in Home Run Derby if he is an All-Star<\/a><\/p>\n But Adell would fit the Phillies as a right-handed hitter who bashes lefties (.862 OPS through Thursday). His defense has improved over the years in right field, too.<\/p>\n And the Angels are headed for their 11th losing season in a row. With one year left on Adell\u2019s contract, this might be their time to cash in, especially if they won\u2019t move Mike Trout<\/a>, who went on the injured list this week with a hamstring strain.<\/p>\n Taylor Ward, a former Angels outfielder, represents an option as an outfield rental. A right-handed hitter and a free agent after the season, he has been an on-base machine for the Orioles, reaching at a .394 clip through Thursday, though he hit only three homers.<\/p>\n Lefty-hitting outfield options<\/p>\n The Phillies had seven left-handed hitters in the lineup Wednesday against Marlins ace righty Sandy Alcantara.<\/p>\n \u201cI actually like it,\u201d interim manager Don Mattingly<\/a> said. \u201cI do. I just think hitting left-handed against righties, it\u2019s an advantage, right? And there\u2019s pitchers that get righties out maybe better. \u2026 It just takes certain pitches away from a righty.\u201d<\/p>\n Said general manager Preston Mattingly: \u201cI probably would side on the side of my dad. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a bad thing to run out seven, eight, nine left-handed hitters vs. a right-handed pitcher. And I think we have [lefty hitters] that are well equipped to hit lefties.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: What if the Phillies\u2019 most impactful addition was a resurgent Trea Turner? He\u2019s working to make it happen.<\/a><\/p>\n File that away. Because although rival evaluators are expecting the Phillies to hunt for a right-handed hitter, Dombrowski may not shy away from an appealing left-handed bat.<\/p>\n Maybe someone like Jarren Duran. The Red Sox will have a surplus of outfielders when Roman Anthony returns from an injured finger. Duran, drafted by Boston when Dombrowski headed its baseball operations department, could finally be the odd man out in left field. <\/p>\n Pie in the sky<\/p>\n At last year\u2019s All-Star Game, Byron Buxton pledged his allegiance to the only organization he has known.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a Minnesota Twin,\u201d he said, \u201cfor the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Buxton actually has control over that. The 32-year-old center fielder has no-trade protection and no desire to waive it, even after the Twins traded 10 players at last year\u2019s deadline, including star closer Jhoan Duran<\/a> and center fielder Harrison Bader to the Phillies.<\/p>\n Amid another stellar season (23 homers, .919 OPS through Thursday), Buxton is doubling down on his loyalty.<\/p>\n \u201cI ain\u2019t said nothing about leaving, nor will I,\u201d Buxton told The Athletic. \u201cI\u2019m a Twin.\u201c<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Phillies top prospect Aidan Miller to have spinal procedure; might still play this season<\/a><\/p>\n But what if the Twins sell again at the deadline? What if they move ace Joe Ryan and catcher Ryan Jeffers? Maybe that would change Buxton\u2019s tune. Maybe not.<\/p>\n The Phillies appear to lack the prospect capital to get him anyway. Justin Crawford<\/a> and Gage Wood might be a start. But the farm system is in the bottom third of the sport, according to many evaluators, after the Phillies used Mick Abel, Eduardo Tait, Starlyn Caba, George Klassen, and Sam Aldegheri in deals over the last two years.<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel good where our system\u2019s at,\u201d Preston Mattingly said. \u201cWe\u2019re not concerned about a lack of assets in the minor leagues. A lot of times you see that top-100 [prospects] list. That\u2019s not necessarily what teams internally talk about, and those are not the players they ask about.\u201d<\/p>\n It would be moot anyway if Buxton wants to be a Twin forever.<\/p>\n Watch the latest episode<\/p>\n Father’s Day will hit a little differently this year for Don and Preston Mattingly. After years of working in baseball for different teams, often on opposite sides of the country, they are together with the Phillies as the first father-and-son manager-and-GM combination ever. Preston Mattingly joins Phillies Extra to discuss working with his dad, as well as the Phillies’ decision to demote Andrew Painter to the minors and their preparations for the trade deadline. Watch here<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify<\/a> or Apple Podcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n Previous episodes<\/a>: Caleb Cotham<\/a> |\u00a0Larry Bowa<\/a> |\u00a0Joe Maddon<\/a> |\u00a0Rhys Hoskins<\/a> |\u00a0Terry Francona<\/a> |\u00a0Aaron Rowand<\/a> |\u00a0Hunter Pence<\/a> |\u00a0Paco Figueroa<\/a> |\u00a0Gage Wood<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min Five months later, almost to the day, Bo Bichette stepped in the batter\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224269,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[97393,28,30,29],"class_list":["post-224268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-mlb-trade-deadline-preview-hitters-outfield-targets","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/circle_outline_footer_light_theme.png\"\/)
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