Farewell to Arms

With two big names now off the trading block, will the Phillies do anything to supplement their pitching staff before Tuesday's trade deadline?

A pair of ex-Phillies were dealt on Thursday, both of whom had been linked as trade possibilities. The Rangers traded 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels to the Cubs for prospects, and JA Happ was traded by the Blue Jays to the Yankees.

Aaron Nola has been excellent. Jake Arrieta has been good. Zach Eflin has been a revelation, while Vince Velasquez has showed promise. That leaves tonight's starter, Nick Pivetta, who has had a rough go of it in his last 8 appearances. He's 2-3 in those starts going back to June 13, and he's allowed 45 hits in 34.2 innings while compiling a 6.49 ERA. In those starts, opponents are hitting .308 with an OPS of .897 with 8 home runs. One bright spot is that he has struck out 46 in those appearances.

Pivetta's future in the rotation probably hinges on how he does tonight against the Reds. There are options in the minors, including last night's starter, Ranger Suarez, who won his MLB debut, along with Ben Lively, Enyel De Los Santos, and Cole Irvin. One big league name to keep an eye on is Tampa starter Chris Archer. Archer is 3-4 with a 4.30 ERA for the Rays, with a WHIP of 1.378, a career high. Pivetta's WHIP for the year is 1.328, but Archer has allowed 10 homers compared to Pivetta's 14. Another thing to consider is that Archer competes in the AL East, home of the Yankees and Red Sox, which could be responsible for some of those inflated numbers.

Archer is also under contract through the end of 2021 and he's owed $24 million over that time. That's a pretty reasonable deal, and the Phils would probably have to give up a couple of decent prospects and maybe someone like Pivetta or Lively.

One reliever the Phils could target is Rangers closer Keone Kela, who has stuck out 43 in 35 innings to go along with a 3.28 ERA and 23 saves. Kela's four-seam fastball is in the high 90s and has touched 100 this year, while his curve and changeup come in around 85 mph. But if the Phils decide to go to the farm, there's always Yacksel Rios or (gulp) Hector Neris.