The Philadelphia Phillies are actively shopping for starting pitching help as the 2026 trade deadline approaches. Andrew Painter and Aaron Nola’s inconsistent performances, combined with underwhelming options for the fifth starter role, have left the rotation with clear holes to fill.
While Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesus Luzardo have been solid, this team needs another reliable arm to compete at the highest level. The good news? There’s no shortage of available starters on the market.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that the Phillies plan to be in on “everyone” – from elite ace Tarik Skubal all the way down to mid-tier options.
“They could use another starter, too, and will be in on everyone from Skubal to Robbie Ray to Clay Holmes.”
Skubal sits atop the trade market by a wide margin. He’s just a one-year rental, but as a back-to-back Cy Young winner, any contender would jump at the chance to add him. The Phillies probably won’t land him due to the massive prospect haul Detroit will demand, but they’ll certainly kick the tires.
Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants represents a more realistic target. Even cheaper would be Tyler Mahle, who’s also in San Francisco’s system.
It gets interesting when you consider NL East rivals as potential trade partners. The Brewers could dangle Freddy Peralta or Clay Holmes. Even divisional foes aren’t off limits when you’re trying to upgrade for a playoff push.
Other names floating around include Kevin Gausman, Casey Mize, Joe Ryan, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Reid Detmers, Jose Soriano, Shane Bieber, and Brady Singer. That’s a lot of options with varying price tags and upside.
The way I see it, Dave Dombrowski will definitely add rotation depth this summer. The only question is whether they land a frontline starter like Skubal or settle for someone from the next tier down.
All things considered, the Phillies seem willing to explore every avenue. When you’re reportedly interested in “everyone” available, that tells you how serious they are about fixing this rotation issue.
