BALTIMORE — Here is Bryan De La Cruz, a 29-year-old outfielder who was in the minor leagues during the first four months of the season for a reason. He was a replacement-level player over the first five years of his career, the type of player who was tantalizing enough to merit chances but always exposed with regular at-bats.
He is who he is. And for two weeks, he has been competent and the Phillies have noticed. They have enjoyed it. That is how low this bar is; they are looking for anyone with a pulse. De La Cruz launched a two-run homer and drove home another run with a sacrifice fly in Sunday’s rain-shortened 8-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles. That made him the first Phillies right fielder with a 3-RBI game since Brandon Marsh on April 23.
“He’s just solid,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “And he’s been that guy; there are parts of his career it’s been really good.”
These were not monumental heroics. But that is the point, as the Phillies contemplate straightforward and more outside-the-box ideas for improving their offense in a lackluster trade market. The deadline is Monday at 6 p.m. ET. In an ideal world, the Phillies acquire a right-handed-hitting outfielder and stick him out there. This is not an ideal world.
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Most expectations, according to teams that have engaged with the Phillies, are that Dave Dombrowski has prioritized pitching acquisitions. That could come in the form of two relievers, or a reliever plus a starting pitcher who could slide into a hypothetical October bullpen role. Some of this is being dictated by the market, which is slim on capable bats.
The Phillies poked around on Lane Thomas, who went to the division-rival Atlanta Braves. They had an up-close look at Taylor Ward over the weekend at Camden Yards and are interested in him. They have looked at Jo Adell in Los Angeles, but he has a career .279 on-base percentage and is not dissimilar to a lot of what the Phillies have already tried. Alex Call is someone they pursued last summer, only for him to go to the Los Angeles Dodgers and affect the National League Division Series against the Phillies. The Dodgers have a glut of players and could flip him before the deadline. Even so, he’s a platoon player at best.
This is why, league sources said, they have not closed the door on potential infield acquisitions. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly describe ongoing trade deliberations.
If the Detroit Tigers continue to sell, maybe Gleyber Torres, a righty hitter, is a target. Several reports have connected the Phillies to San Francisco second baseman Luis Arraez, a left-handed hitter who has said he does not want to change positions. That makes him a square peg for a round hole, but the Phillies have at least considered him, league sources said. It might necessitate at least two, maybe three others changing positions. That feels extreme. But Arraez can hit, and the Phillies could use a hitter.
It is why they have spoken to teams about lefty-hitting outfielders.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Jake McCarthy has interested the Phillies in previous seasons, and he remains someone to monitor. McCarthy hit a home run against a lefty Sunday, raising his season slash line to .345/.380/.575 in 93 plate appearances against lefties. (There is a Coors Field bump, but McCarthy’s numbers away from home have still been decent.) They have interest in Lars Nootbaar, another lefty-hitting outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals who has strong on-base skills. They have talked to the Toronto Blue Jays about several of their players, including outfielder Daulton Varsho.
Jake McCarthy, an athletic lefty hitter, hit a three-run homer against the Royals on Sunday. (Dustin Bradford / Getty Images)
The complementary lineup pieces will not decide this team’s fate. But when the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters in the lineup combine for three hits, three runs scored and five RBIs, as they did in Sunday’s win, it is a reminder that good teams have balance. Still, Justin Crawford, like De La Cruz, is not guaranteed a spot (or at least regular at-bats) on the post-deadline roster.
“It’s a dream come true,” De La Cruz said through a team interpreter. “Really. I spent the last three, four years playing against this team. So being a part of it is just really fun.”
It’s not as though two decent weeks from De La Cruz will influence the Phillies’ deadline plans. If anything, it’s instructive. They have had so little contribution from parts of this roster. It has held back the entire team.
They need not secure the best player available. They should be seeking the biggest upgrade.
Three homegrown position players — Gabriel Rincones Jr., Felix Reyes and Otto Kemp — have combined for minus-1.6 WAR, according to FanGraphs, in 154 plate appearances. De La Cruz and Derek Hill, a midseason trade addition, have produced a 1.2 fWAR in 94 plate appearances.
Just the slightest upgrades have mattered.
Here’s another number: The Phillies have a .727 OPS since the All-Star break. That ranks 12th in the majors. They are middle-of-the-pack in most offensive categories. With more pitching stability, that would be enough to contend.
As far as Phillies trade deadlines go, it might not be the most exhilarating one. At least not yet.
