This week has been full of important events for the Philadelphia Phillies.
On Monday, they secured the National League East title by defeating the Chicago Cubs.
By Wednesday, they had earned a first-round bye in the playoffs, meaning they won’t have to play in the Wild Card round.
Now, they’re trying to lock in home-field advantage for the playoffs by aiming to finish with the best record in the National League, competing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And there are some individual updates, including the return of outfielder Austin Hays and news about a trade offer involving one of the Phillies’ top young pitchers, Andrew Painter, which the team turned down.
Reportedly, the Phillies had a chance to trade for Chicago White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet before the trade deadline.
Crochet had a solid 3.23 ERA and averaged over 12 strikeouts per nine innings, which would have been helpful for the Phillies’ struggling pitching rotation.
However, in return, the White Sox asked for Andrew Painter, the Phillies’ best pitching prospect.
Nonetheless, the Phillies declined the offer because they see Painter as a big part of their future.
Painter, who is only 21, has been recovering from Tommy John surgery and hasn’t played this season, but the team expects him to be a key part of their rotation in 2025.
In other news, outfielder Austin Hays returned to the lineup this week after being out with a kidney infection for three weeks.
He revealed that he had been feeling unwell since early August but didn’t realize it was serious until much later.
After recovering and playing a few rehab games, Hays finally returned to the team on Tuesday.
Thankfully, he feels 100% better and ready to contribute to the playoffs, saying he feels like his old self again.
As for the team’s bye week, since the Phillies earned a top-two seed in the playoffs, they will have five days off before their next game.
In contrast, this is a new situation for them because, in the last two years, they had to play in the Wild Card Series.
While some teams struggle after a long break, the Phillies seem confident and have put together a plan to stay sharp.
They will have a few workouts during the break, including an intrasquad game on Wednesday, which is a practice game against their own teammates.
And understandably, many players, including Bryce Harper, look forward to the time off to rest and recover from a long season.
Shortstop Trea Turner, however, shared his experience from last year, when his team (the Dodgers) lost in the playoffs after having a long break.
He said the challenge is more mental than physical, but he doesn’t think the break was the reason for their loss.
Planning for the coming years, the decision to keep Andrew Painter instead of trading him for Garrett Crochet shows that the Phillies are thinking about their future.
Though Crochet could have helped them immediately, he also came with some risks.
He had requested a contract extension if he were traded, and his performance had dipped in the second half of the season.
And the Phillies likely didn’t want to gamble on a short-term fix when they believe Painter can be a star pitcher for them in the long run.
For now, they’re focused on the playoffs, but this decision could benefit them for years to come.
Overall, the Phillies have had a great week.
They won the NL East, secured a bye in the first round of the playoffs, and made smart choices about their future by holding onto top talent like Andrew Painter.
As they prepare for the playoffs, they are in a solid position to make a deep run and compete for their first World Series title since 2008.
