The league to watch for right now is the National League. No disrespect to the American League, but the National League has the best of the best teams in it. The amount of talent and firepower is going to make for some of the most competitive baseball down the stretch. With the trade deadline approaching, we know who’s going to be buyers and sellers. The one team that feels like are talked about but not nearly enough is the Philadelphia Phillies. This team has had the ingredients for years and this might be the year this team brings the championship back to the City of Brotherly Love.

Can This be the Year for the Phillies?

This city of starving for a championship. It’s been since 2008 and this is a Phillies team that has been knocking on the door for a World Series. The Bryce Harper Era has seen this team be in contention. Heck, Harper himself had the swing of his life against the Padres in the 2022 NLCS to help send the team to the World Series. Ultimately, the team did make the World Series, but fell to the Houston Astros. In 2023, they lost in the NLCS to the Diamondbacks and then in 2024 in the divisional series to their hated rivals the New York Mets. At some point the dam has to break right? If the trend continues, they could lose in the Wild Card round.

But the way this team is constructed, they very much have the pieces to go out and go on a deep run in October. This core (which still very much put together), is getting older and some key pieces are free agents after this season. When you do look at the landscape of the NL and the top teams in question, who are they better than? Sure, the Dodgers overall have had the offense, but until healthy that pitching staff is questionable. The Cubs offense is legit, but their rotation also is questionable outside of Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga. So why not the Phillies? Because the way they are put together, this could be the year they go the distance.

Pitching, pitching, and more pitching. This Phillies team can pitch, primarily in their rotation. You can make a very compelling case who starts Game 1 of a playoff series and even if you get the right matchups, the pitching staff can give this team a fighting chance to win every single night. Overall, the Phillies rotation has the fifth best ERA in baseball (3.41), and that’s even with the lackluster numbers that Aaron Nola was putting up for the team.

It’s led by CY Young contender Zack Wheeler. He is playing some of the best baseball of his career, which is crazy to even say. Wheeler has a 2.39 ERA, an 0.88 WHIP, and a .187 average against. He’s been dominant and that’s putting it lightly. A strikeout machine with a nose for the zone and is poised to help lead this team to the promise land.

Cristopher Sanchez is not talked about enough. His 2.40 ERA is right behind Wheeler and his 1.09 WHIP is phenomenal. Guy keeps the ball on the ground and has made a living with his changeup. Sanchez has the most strikeouts with that pitch (85), and also has the best run value with that pitch. They don’t have one ace, but TWO. Good luck to opposing teams.

Then you factor in Ranger Suarez, who has been pitching very well for this team, having a 2.66 ERA. Jesus Luzardo has also been a major bright spot for this Phillies team, but he definitely needs to limit his walks and that fastball has gotten clobbered. They have depth. This team can pitch their way to a World Series if they want to.

These ingredients are special and this team has the makings to doing something special this October. But if the Phillies are going to go on this special run, Dave Dombrowski is going to need to address the weaknesses to help propel them to the top.

Phillies Need to be Aggressive

At one point, the Phillies were five games behind the Mets for the division. Now they hold first place, but the race is tied. This Phillies team does have the core and the pieces to perform, but they need more. First and foremost, adding another bat is going to be key for them. Sounds crazy right? Especially, when you have one of the home run leaders in Kyle Schwarber.

But as dominant as we know this Phillies lineup can be, they weren’t performing like the dominant lineup we know they can be. But things have heated up in July for their big time bats. Both Schwarber and Harper each have four home runs and Harper is having his best month of the entire season. Dombrowski can’t sell the fan base on Max Kepler getting hot and being the answer. Go get a reliable outfielder and bat.

The next big thing which could doom any chance at a championship is their bullpen. José Alvarado getting busted for PED’s was a major blow for the back of their bullpen. Since that point, they’ve used five different pitchers in save type situations. Matt Strahm and Jordan Romano lead the way. In this span, the bullpen is middle of the pack in ERA (3.91), is not the most clutch of all bullpens, and is near the bottom ten is shutdowns. They aren’t melting down, which is nice. But this team desperately needs a legitimate closer and a reliever they can place on high leverage situations. You add a dynamic reliever and closer to this group, the sky is the limit.

This Phillies team has the core and the pieces. Their starting rotation is among the best in baseball and they do have bats that can deliver. They need a little bit more reinforcements, but this Phillies team is very capable of winning it all.