We’re officially a week away from the MLB trade deadline, which is set for August 3 at 6 p.m. ET. This means the rumors and trade buzz will be heating up across the majors as contenders look for that one or two pieces to put them over the top, while those not in the playoff chase try to sell off various pieces in hopes of bolstering their farm systems.
The Philadelphia Phillies are among the contenders who will be active between now and the trade deadline as they have a few needs to address (a starting pitcher, a reliever, and a right-handed outfield bat) to get them back to playing postseason baseball in October.
Will the Phils be able to fill all of those needs? It’s going to be tough, but with them only 5.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the National League East, the fanbase is expecting President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski to make a move or two. Anything less would be a failure.
Here at Total Sports Live, we’ll be running a trade deadline tracker that will provide the latest news and rumors about the Phillies. The second half of the 2026 season hasn’t started out great for Philadelphia, but two good moves at the deadline could set up Don Mattingly’s club for success the rest of the way.
Phillies showing interest in Taylor Ward and Alex Call
As we get closer to the trade deadline on Monday evening, the Philadelphia Phillies are doing extensive homework on outfielders. On Friday, Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark of The Athletic reported that the Phillies are among four teams showing interest in Baltimore Orioles left fielder Taylor Ward.
This season, the 32-year-old Ward is slashing .247/.384/.348 with seven home runs and 30 RBI across 109 games. He fits what the Phillies are looking for at the deadline: a right-handed bat. The veteran outfielder is slugging .267 with five doubles, four home runs, and 11 RBI against southpaws, compared to .240 with 15 doubles, three homers, and 19 RBI vs. right-handed pitchers.
In addition to Ward, the Phillies are keeping an eye on Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Alex Call. According to Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Phillies “have checked in” on Call and “had heavy interest” in the 31-year-old at last year’s deadline before Los Angeles acquired him.
This season with the Dodgers, Call is slashing .246/.355/.314 with five doubles, a home run, and 16 RBI in 60 games. The right-handed hitting outfielder has crushed left-handed pitching, slashing .326/.418/.457 with three doubles, a home run, and nine RBI.
Jo Adell is on the Phillies’ radar, but another trade package has their eye
On Friday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote that the Phillies “would prefer to acquire” Jo Adell, but a trade package from the Blue Jays consisting of Varsho and Jeff Hoffman “intrigues them.”
The 27-year-old Adell would fill the Phillies’ need in right field as he’s hitting .244 with 16 home runs, 62 RBI, and an OPS of .695 this season. However, his defense leaves a bit to be desired. Adell has a .971 fielding percentage (.986 league fielding percentage), five errors in 173 chances, and a -1 Defensive Runs Saved Above Average.
Adell still has another year of arbitration before reaching free agency in 2028. It would cost the Phillies more to acquire Adell (prospect capital) than Varsho and former Phillie Hoffman, who has struggled in his first two seasons with the Blue Jays.
Phillies expressing interest in Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho ahead of trade deadline
On Thursday afternoon, MLB insider Jon Heyman reported that the Phillies are interested in Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho. Heyman’s report comes on the heels of MLB Network’s Jon Morosi stating that the Jays and Phillies “are emerging as trade partners.”
Morosi listed Kevin Gausman (starting pitcher), Shane Bieber (starting pitcher), Jeff Hoffman (reliever), George Springer (outfielder), and Varsho as “available veterans” who fit the Phillies’ various needs.
When it comes to Varsho, the 30-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder is slashing .247/.308/.383 with seven home runs, 26 RBI, and a .691 OPS in 96 games this season. Varsho wouldn’t be the right-handed bat the team needs, nor would he help in right field, which is also a concern.
Over the last two years, he’s played predominantly in center field (417 career games in center). Varsho has also played 201 games in left field and only 84 in right field.
Varsho is set to be a free agent at the end of this season, so he’d be a rental for the final two months of the 2026 campaign. It likely wouldn’t cost the Phillies a top-10 prospect to acquire Varsho, but based on the fanbase’s temperature, he wouldn’t move the needle.
Report: Phillies had a scout in attendance to watch Nationals starter Foster Griffin pitch on Saturday
According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, the Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays were scouting Washington Nationals All-Star Foster Griffin on Saturday.
One anecdote we’ve heard at The Athletic: The Phillies and Rays each had a scout at Nats Park on Saturday to watch Foster Griffin. That does not mean either team will acquire him, or even that they’re high on him, but I think it reaffirms the idea that almost every contender needs starting pitching, and the market for Griffin is probably wider than almost anyone who the Nats could sell. I’d also temper expectations w/r/t a return, if only because teams like to look at the underlying metrics (3.92 xERA) the stuff (depends on your eval) and control (he is a free agent after this year).
It’s no surprise to see teams scouting Griffin, who is having an outstanding rookie season for the Nationals. The 31-year-old right-handed pitcher, who spent the previous three seasons in Japan, has a 12-2 record and 2.76 ERA across 21 starts with the Nats.
Griffin has recorded 113 strikeouts while giving up 100 hits, 38 earned runs, 28 walks, and 17 home runs across 124 innings. His performance on the mound is one of the reasons the Nationals are in the running for the third wild card spot in the National League.
Nonetheless, it would be shocking to see the Nationals move Griffin to the Phillies, even though he’s set to be a free agent at the end of the season.
Would Griffin be an upgrade over Aaron Nola and whoever Philly throws out in the fifth spot in the rotation? Yes, and that’s just based on what’s on the back of Griffin’s baseball card. That being said, it will be interesting to see whether the Phillies take a look at any other starters or make a move for one before next week’s deadline.
