Bryce Harper trade deadline plea: Phillies need help after 1-0 loss
Harper said Philadelphia needs both a bat and an arm after a 1-0 loss to Miami left the Phillies sputtering since the All-Star break.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
The Bryce Harper trade deadline message was blunt after another quiet night from the Phillies’ lineup: Philadelphia needs help, and Harper told reporters he thinks it needs help on both sides of the ball.
According to ESPN News Services, Harper made the comments Tuesday night after the Phillies fell 1-0 to the Miami Marlins. The loss gave Philadelphia its fourth consecutive series defeat since the All-Star break and marked its eighth loss in 11 games since the break.
The bigger alarm bell was the offense. ESPN News Services reported that the Phillies have been held to one run or fewer in six of those 11 games, a brutal stretch for a club still trying to protect a wild-card position.
What did Bryce Harper say about the trade deadline?
Asked whether Philadelphia needs reinforcements before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, Harper said, “I think we need some help,” according to ESPN News Services. When asked whether that meant pitching or hitting, he answered, “I think both.”
Harper was responding to a question about whether the Phillies’ lineup could handle high-level pitching in October, the kind Miami sent at them Tuesday. ESPN News Services reported that Harper said the team has shown for much of the season that it can do a good job, but added that extra help and reinforcements would be useful.
He also said, according to ESPN News Services, that “everybody knows what we need” and that he has been saying over the past several days that the club needs both areas addressed.
Harper did not say whether he expects the front office to deliver. ESPN News Services reported that he pointed questions about possible additions to Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations.
Sandy Alcantara quieted the Phillies
The Marlins did not need much offense because Sandy Alcantara kept Philadelphia stuck in neutral. ESPN News Services reported that Alcantara allowed four hits over seven sharp innings, struck out five and walked one.
The Phillies did not get a hit until Bryan De La Cruz beat out an infield single with two outs in the fifth inning, according to ESPN News Services. The outing was Alcantara’s major-league-leading 16th quality start.
The 1-0 score put another harsh spotlight on a Phillies team that, at 57-51, sat six games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves. ESPN News Services described Philadelphia’s hold on a wild-card spot as tenuous.
Could Harper move back to the outfield?
The Athletic recently reported that Harper brought his old outfield glove on the Phillies’ road trip in case Philadelphia trades for a first baseman. That would potentially free Harper to move from first base.
Harper, 33, has not appeared in right field in a game since April 2022, according to ESPN News Services. A ligament injury in his right elbow led him first to designated hitter duties and later to first base.
For now, the public message from the clubhouse is clear. Harper said the Phillies need more before the deadline, and Tuesday’s four-hit loss in Miami gave the front office another uncomfortable data point.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.