PHILADELPHIA -- There are eight days to go before the July 31 Trade Deadline.
The Phillies are expected to make moves. The only question is how do they go?
Phillies fans have questions. On Wednesday afternoon, MLB.com’s Phillies reporter Todd Zolecki did a Reddit AMA. You can read the full discussion here. Here are a few highlights:
Q: What do you believe the club has the bigger priority on coming to the deadline, getting a closer or an outfielder?
A: Closer, probably. But if they feel the price is too high, they can adjust and try to find a bat to help the offense. Really, they need both. They truly do. I don't know that I'd give up the entire farm system to do it.
Then again, either you try or you don't.
Q: What’s the thought with Gage Wood? Is he projecting as a starter or reliever?
A: Starter.
I know there's been speculation that Wood could join the Phillies' bullpen this fall, but there are no internal expectations or plans for that. They want Wood to start. They also believe they will make upgrades to the bullpen in coming weeks, including José Alvarado's return and a starter moving to the pen. I almost feel like something will have gone wrong if Wood is in the pen this fall. But stranger things have happened.
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Q: There are rumors and storylines floating around in the media and fanbase that span the whole spectrum of how aggressive or unaggressive/conservative the Phillies are looking to be at the deadline. Do you get the sense that they are open to a medium or big splash, or not so much?
If you were Dave Dombrowski, what would be your top priority?
Lastly, and more specifically, will Max Kepler still be on the team on August 1?
A: The Phillies are aggressively pursuing bullpen help. While they say they don't believe the Phillies' window is closing, they know it's closing for their current core, especially with Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Ranger Suárez becoming free agents. So they know they need to give this group the best chance possible to win. I just can't imagine they get a middle reliever and nothing else.
I agree that the Phillies need a closer, but I really think they need a big bat. Where does that bat fit? I'm not sure. But I think they need to get somebody else they can rely on.
In regards to Kepler ... Dombrowski hinted that they want to see how things shake out with their 26-man roster before they promote Justin Crawford. That would point to something happening in left field ... either they acquire a left fielder or they move somebody there, like Schwarber.