ATLANTA – In a wild flurry of exercise that began 2½ hours earlier than Tuesday’s commerce deadline, the Phillies addressed three obvious wants as they shored up their group for a late-season push that they hope will finish their 10-year playoff drought.

“I feel we’re higher,” stated president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, summing up the day.

So as, the Phillies acquired middle fielder Brandon Marsh from the Los Angeles Angels, reliever David Robertson from the Chicago Cubs and beginning pitcher Noah Syndergaard from the Angels.

The Syndergaard deal was sewed up simply moments earlier than the 6 p.m. deadline when the Angels moved away from a unique potential deal and phoned the Phillies.

It made a great day of wheeling and dealing that a lot better.

“That was large for us,” Dombrowski stated. “I used to be beginning to suppose we weren’t going to get a beginning pitcher. The asks had been very excessive. So, we’re thrilled about that.

“We added a beginning pitcher, we stabilized and made the bullpen higher, and we solidified our protection with an on a regular basis place participant. We’re in a tricky division and there are robust groups within the race, however I feel we’re higher.”

The Phils parted with simply two of their high prospects in these offers. Catcher Logan O’Hoppe went to the Angels for Marsh and pitcher Ben Brown to the Cubs for Robertson.

The Phils despatched former No. 1 general decide Mickey Moniak and minor-league outfielder Jadiel Sanchez to the Angels for Syndergaard. Moniak by no means lived as much as his billing with the Phillies and will profit from a change of surroundings.

Dombrowski stated the Phils “beloved” O’Hoppe however had been comfy giving him up as a result of Marsh comes with 5 years of contractual management and has super upside at a place, middle discipline, that has been an annual drawback for the Phils. He added that J.T. Realmuto was set at catcher for 3 extra years.

“Brown might be the one which harm probably the most,” Dombrowski stated of the 6-6, 22-year-old, power-armed right-hander who went to the Cubs within the Robertson deal. “We like him loads, however you possibly can’t defend all people. In case you’re attempting to get to the postseason, David Robertson is pretty much as good a reliever as is on the market and that was the associated fee for us to get him.”

The Phils had been capable of cling on to their high three pitching prospects – Mick Abel, Andrew Painter and Griff McGarry.

“We by no means mentioned them,” Dombrowski stated. “We simply didn’t need to commerce these guys.”

That didn’t cease different golf equipment from asking – consistently.

“Super. Off the charts,” Dombrowski stated of the curiosity within the trio. “We could not get folks off these names. From an organizational perspective, we simply felt we couldn’t mortgage the longer term by buying and selling a kind of guys.”

Whereas Dombrowski believes that the group’s greatest days are down the street, he totally expects this group to stay in competition for a playoff berth. The Phils misplaced 13-1 to Atlanta on Tuesday night time and share a 55-48 file with St. Louis. Nonetheless, the Phils management the third and last NL wild-card spot after profitable the season sequence with St. Louis. The Phils are taking up the rest of Syndergaard’s contract – greater than $7 million – and challenge to be over the $230 million luxurious tax threshold. Possession badly needs to make the playoffs and see what occurs with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola on the high of the rotation. Along with Tuesday’s enhancements from the commerce market, the Phils will get their two greatest pure hitters again within the coming weeks. Jean Segura (damaged finger) is anticipated to come back off the injured listing Thursday and Bryce Harper (damaged thumb) has begun swinging a bat and could possibly be again by across the finish of the month.

As for the roles the brand new gamers will fill …

Syndergaard will transfer into the rotation, taking the spot vacated by the injured Zach Eflin. The powerfully constructed, 6-6 right-hander doesn’t throw 100 mph anymore, however he nonetheless sits within the mid-90s with sink on his fastball. 

“We predict he could be efficient in a five- or six-inning function,” Dombrowski stated. “We weren’t in search of a No. 1 man. We weren’t in that market.”

Dombrowski praised the work of Bailey Falter and Cristopher Sanchez. Each have frolicked filling in for Eflin and so they stay worthwhile to the group by way of depth.

Marsh, 24, is a former second-round draft decide of the Angels and at one time was that group’s high prospect. He has not hit persistently and his strikeout fee is excessive at over 35 % in his two seasons within the majors. Marsh is, nevertheless, “a premium defender” in middle discipline, to make use of Dombrowski’s description. He’ll get the majority of the taking part in time on the place with Matt Vierling getting time in opposition to lefties.

Each Dombrowski and supervisor Rob Thomson stated the Phillies’ hitting workers, led by hitting coach Kevin Lengthy, spent hours reviewing Marsh’s left-handed stroke and strategy.

“We predict there’s some issues we will do to assist him,” Thomson stated. “He’s probably the greatest defensive middle fielders in baseball, in order that’s an improve.”

Robertson, 37, has been probably the greatest tales in baseball this season. He signed a two-year, $23 million contract with the Phillies earlier than the 2019 season however pitched in simply seven video games due to an elbow damage that required surgical procedure. He didn’t pitch in 2020 and made it again to the large leagues for 12 video games with Tampa Bay final season. With the Cubs this season, Robertson notched a 2.23 ERA and 14 saves in 40 1/three innings. He was hanging out 11.four batters per 9 innings.

Robertson is playoff examined from his time with the Yankees – he was on the 2009 Yankees group that beat the Phillies within the World Collection – and he’s motivated to assist the Phillies after breaking down his first time by means of city.

“He was very upset that he bought harm,” Thomson stated. “I feel he felt dangerous about it, I actually do.”

The Phillies hope to have Robertson in uniform for Wednesday afternoon’s sport in Atlanta. Marsh and Syndergaard, who’re coming from the West Coast, will probably be a part of the group Thursday in Philadelphia.

As Gene Hackman stated in Hoosiers, “That is your group.” It’s higher than it was a number of days in the past. Time will inform if it’s adequate to interrupt the postseason drought.