As Phillies navigate trade deadline market, Brandon Marsh and Jesús Luzardo deliver

New York Times

4 days ago

CHICAGO — By Tuesday night's third inning, Brandon Marsh had already collected two extra-base hits, made two fine catches in center field to save his starting pitcher and reminded everyone why he's here. It had been 316 days since he last had a game with two extra-base hits. The Phillies had hoped the 27-year-old outfielder would grow into more power in 2025; instead, his slugging percentage has dropped 50 points from a season ago.
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As the Phillies consider a potential outfield upgrade before Thursday's trading deadline, the blame is not all on Marsh. But he qualifies as a disappointment. This is the time on the baseball calendar when teams attempt to correct whatever they can.
'You always bet on yourself,' Marsh said after a 6-3 Phillies win over the White Sox. 'But I'm not worried about that. If something happens, something happens. We'll keep going. … (The deadline) is in the back of everyone's mind, probably, but we try not to think about it. Just focus on the task at hand.'
The task is layered. Marsh must drive the ball more. Jesús Luzardo, who submitted seven scoreless innings against a Chicago team with the worst record in the American League, must pitch better with runners on base. The Phillies' front office, which has convened at Rate Field this week, must navigate a sagging trade market to obtain the proper upgrades.
Marsh could be displaced if the Phillies acquire a center fielder. Luzardo could be bound for the bullpen before October if the Phillies cannot land the shutdown, late-inning reliever they crave. The staredown between the Phillies and selling teams continued into Wednesday.
Mashed by Marsh pic.twitter.com/tpLxzxIkWr
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 30, 2025
The bullpen is still the priority, major-league sources said. But, with Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase and Baltimore's Felix Bautista off the market, the pool of high-end controllable relievers is shallow. A lot hinges on the Minnesota Twins, who boast Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax.
It is unclear whether the Twins intend to deal either pitcher; they could delay a decision until the offseason after gaining information from interested clubs this summer. It's possible neither of Minnesota's two best relievers will be traded in the next two days.
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This has complicated things. The Phillies, according to major-league sources, have expressed interest in Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar, who is under club control through 2026. They have balked at the current price. That could mean the Phillies pivot to a rental, such as St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. There is interest and a potential path to a deal between the two clubs.
But Helsley is drawing significant interest from numerous contenders. If the Phillies cannot land him, it will force more creative solutions.
The Phillies were not counting on 33 starts from Luzardo entering this season, but as July becomes August, that is Luzardo's pace. He pitched with diminished velocity Tuesday; Phillies manager Rob Thomson said some of that was by design. 'He was really focused on pitching and not throwing tonight,' Thomson said. Luzardo attributed it more to fatigue.
'It was one of those days,' he said. 'You're not gonna have your best stuff 32 times a year. But I was able to go out there and grind it out and make it work.'
Luzardo has endured serious bruises in the last two months. The Phillies have attempted adjustments and Luzardo has probably overthought it. More than anything, the club wanted to see Luzardo compete and better respond to adversity. He overcame an error and a walk in the first inning by setting his pride aside and pitching from the wind-up with the bases loaded. (This is something he refused to do last start.) Luzardo committed a fielding error in the fifth but still pitched out of trouble with two runners on base.
It was progress.
'This just kind of reassures me,' Luzardo said. 'I didn't have my best stuff at all. I was still able to go out there and do that. So it reassures the confidence and understanding that I can still do it. I still have it in me.'
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The Phillies have never doubted Luzardo's stuff. For the first two months, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. They were sure they would have to manage his innings at some point, but Luzardo has assured everyone he's fine. The club uses different measurements to track its pitchers' health, and Luzardo has graded well.
But at some point there will be a rotation surplus. The Phillies know they have Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez at the top. Ranger Suárez, while pitching with diminished velocity, keeps going.
Aaron Nola is inching closer to his return. He'll throw about 60 pitches Thursday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, then stay on every fifth day there. If he makes three minor-league starts, he would be ready by Aug. 15 — or thereabouts. Andrew Painter, the organization's top prospect, pitches again Wednesday at Triple A and is coming off his best start. He could factor into the rotation plans in August and September.
Many roads lead to Luzardo filling some sort of bullpen role — perhaps before October, depending on how the trade deadline unfolds.
There will be questions about the lefty's durability; an unfamiliar role could expose him to more health risks. Before it's even a conversation, Luzardo must solve his woes from the stretch. A small adjustment — how he placed his feet on the mound from the stretch — had him feeling more confident in Tuesday's outing.
Maybe it's something. Maybe not.
'He could have gone out for another inning,' Thomson said. 'But I want to get him out on a good note.'
The start nudged Luzardo to 121 innings for the season. It's the second-highest total of his career. He's on pace for 181 innings, which would be the most he's ever thrown in a season. A move to the bullpen sometime after Nola's return could satisfy several goals — preserving Luzardo and augmenting the relievers.
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That's for later.
'Today was obviously a step in the right direction,' Luzardo said. 'It was big for us.'
Marsh is included in that. The Phillies have poked around on potential outfield acquisitions, including Chicago's Luis Robert Jr. There is a gap, sources said, in how the two sides view Robert's current value. They could find common ground before Thursday's deadline, although other contenders could be willing to pay more for Robert.
Even if the Phillies do not acquire an outfielder, they could enact change by summoning Justin Crawford from Triple A. In that scenario, Marsh would probably stay in center with Crawford manning left.
It was one night, but Marsh did his job.
'We can build off of it,' Marsh said.
And, now, they all wait to see what else happens.
(Photo by Justin Casterline / Getty Images)