Phillies linked to $115 million Cy Young amid Andrew Painter concerns

The Philadelphia Phillies are back in the postseason picture after a disastrous start to the season. 

They've flipped a switch under interim manager Don Mattingly, who took over for the fired Rob Thomson. 

Like most contenders, the trade deadline could make or break the Phillies' season. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will be working the phones to find upgrades at positions of need. 

Could one of those upgrades be a starting pitcher? Mike Axisa of CBS Sports noted that right-hander Andrew Painter's workload is rapidly increasing. Painter threw a career-high 118 innings in the minors last season and has already surpassed 53 innings in 2026. 

If they want to play it safe with Painter, Axisa tabbed the Phillies as a potential landing spot for a former Cy Young winner from the San Francisco Giants. 

"Robbie Ray has been homer-prone and is having a tough year overall," Axisa wrote. "You can squint and see the No. 2-3 starter upside, though, and there is always so much demand for pitching at the deadline that I'm sure there will be interest in him." 

The Phillies aren't in desperate need of a starter like Ray, a two-time All-Star, but it wouldn't hurt to have another lefty who could come out of the bullpen in the postseason. 

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Ray has allowed 13 home runs in 62.2 innings with the Giants while playing his home games at a pitcher-friendly ballpark.

That's a cause for concern, but he's still striking out 8.5 batters per nine, and has 13.1 playoff innings under his belt. Philadelphia could do a lot worse. 

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