Ex-Phillies GM rejects Jarren Duran, Byron Buxton, Luis Robert Jr. trade idea, names 25-year-old infielder as team's offensive fix

A lot of the onus for scoring the Philadelphia Phillies' runs this season has fallen on the shoulders of top-order hitters Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber, who have been on fire.

The hitting from the middle and bottom order, on the other hand, has left a lot to be desired, and finding solutions to improve the all-around quality of the batting lineup was a major area the Phillies were looking to address heading into the trade deadline.

As July 31 inches closer, a number of hitters, such as Jarren Duran (Boston Red Sox), Byron Buxton (Minnesota Twins) and Luis Robert Jr. (Chicago White Sox) have been linked to the Phils.

However, according to ex-Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., the recent rise of infielder Otto Kemp has given the team exactly the kind of profile they were looking for, and trading for the likes of Duran, Buxton and Robert may no longer be necessary.

"I'll tell you who the offensive fix is," Amaro said on The Phillies Show on Monday (Timestamp: 7:00). "He's put together some really good at-bats, it's Otto Kemp. He can't carry this team, but he's the type of hitter that they've sort of been looking for. Someone who has quality at-bats, someone who stays in the strike zone, someone who hits the ball all over the field.

"He's not a proven entity by any means, he's growing and he might get beat up for a while, but that's the type of hitter you're sort of looking for. Somebody who can make contact at the right time, move the ball around on the field, and have an idea at the plate. I don't know if they're going to be able to go get somebody like that."

---

Phillies also looking at bolstering bullpen by trading for pair of Pirates relievers, per insider

One area of the Phillies squad that perhaps needs even more work than their lower-order hitting is their bullpen, which has been struggling this season, especially after star closer Jose Alvarado picked up an 80-game suspension due to PED use.

In order to shore up that department, insider Andrew Fillipponi reported on Monday that the NL East leaders may be looking to trade for Pirates relievers Dennis Santana and David Bednar.

"Report: The Phillies and Pirates have had trade conversations about closer David Bednar and setup man Dennis Santana. The feeling is Philly could want BOTH in a deal. Stay tuned," Fillipponi posted on X.

With plenty of exciting reports flying around regarding potential acquisitions, fans will be hoping Dave Dombrowski and Co. can eventually get the necessary deals over the line in time.