Luis Arraez is neither a right-handed hitter nor an outfielder.
But he’s the Phillies’ solution to help the offense.
The Phillies beat the trade deadline Monday by acquiring Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian from the Giants. They will send breakout pitching prospect Ramon Marquez and minor league reliever Marty Gair to San Francisco.
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Arraez, 29, has said he prefers to stay at second base, where he has improved defensively this season. In that case, the move for Arraez will force the Phillies to shuffle the defense. It’s unclear how they will do that.
The most likely option would be for Bryce Harper to move back to right field for the rest of the season. He hasn’t played the outfield since 2022 and became a first baseman in 2023 while recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery. But Harper has repeatedly offered to move back to the outfield “for the right player,” as he reiterated in June.
In that case, Alec Bohm would move to first base and Bryson Stott to third, opening second base for Arraez.
Alternatively, the Phillies could move Stott to shortstop and Trea Turner to the outfield, where he hasn’t played since 2016.
From June … pic.twitter.com/ZiMjlcDNMQ
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) August 3, 2026
In the weeks leading up to the deadline, the Phillies zeroed in on righty-hitting outfielders to help boost the offense. But given the state of the market, they felt they needed to get creative.
Arraez is a contact-hitting savant. The three-time batting champion is leading the National League with a .324 average and has more walks (25) than strikeouts (21). He has a .360 on-base percentage and figures to help set the table for Kyle Schwarber and Harper.
The Phillies are tied for second-to-last in the majors in on-base percentage (.304). In particular, they have gotten less production than any team from the right side of the plate, with a worst-in-the-majors .280 on-base percentage and .644 OPS.
But neither Mike Trout nor Byron Buxton have signaled a willingness to waive their no-trade rights. (In Buxton’s case, the Twins are a playoff contender in the American League.) The Reds’ Spencer Steer injured his wrist and may miss the rest of the season; the Royals traded Lane Thomas to the Braves; the Angels’ Jo Adell has a .279 career on-base percentage; and the Orioles may hold on to Taylor Ward.
And so, the Phillies widened their search over the weekend, according to major league sources, and landed on Arraez.
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The Phillies also acquired Kilian, a 29-year-old righty, to add depth to the middle of the bullpen. He has a 4.26 ERA in 46 games this season, but hasn’t allowed a run in eight of his last 11 appearances.
The move comes at a cost for a farm system that was already ranked among the worst in baseball.
Marquez, a hard-throwing 20-year-old right-hander, has emerged this season, prompting debate among scouts about whether he or 2025 first-round pick Gage Wood was the best pitching prospect in the system. Scouts are impressed by Marquez’s changeup and an uptick in his fastball velocity. He has a 1.50 ERA in six starts since moving up to high-A Jersey Shore.
Gair, 23, was recently promoted to Jersey Shore. He has a 4.50 ERA and six saves in 30 appearances overall this season.
To make room for Arráez and Kilian on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitcher Lou Trivino and catcher Payton Henry were designated for assignment.
This is a developing story.
No matter what moves the Phillies make before the trade deadline Monday, they will have to fix some of their issues internally. Chief among them: Trea Turner’s defense at shortstop. And that’s where infield coach Bobby Dickerson comes in. Dickerson sat down with “Phillies Extra,” The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to discuss Turner’s struggles, the problems with analytics in measuring defense, his unique coaching style, and more. Watch here.
You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Previous episodes: Jim Bowden | John Middleton | Ryan Howard | Dan Baker | Ricky Bottalico | Preston Mattingly | Caleb Cotham | Larry Bowa | Joe Maddon | Rhys Hoskins
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