Phillies urged to search for bullpen arms at trade deadline

The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off of a tough series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, though they still are a legitimate postseason contender.

They might need a few more pieces though to cement themselves in the conversation of World Series contenders.

They need a solution at third base with Alec Bohm struggling, and while Brandon Marsh overcame his early season struggles at the plate, the veteran outfielder may be better equipped for a corner spot rather than center field.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report believes Philadelphia's biggest need is their bullpen.

"Southpaws José Alvarado and Matt Strahm have been reliable late-inning options, and offseason addition Jordan Romano is rounding into form, but the bullpen as a whole needs at least one more high-leverage arm to lean on to make a title push," Reuter writes.

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The Phillies bullpen ranks 23rd in Major League Baseball with a 4.62 ERA. Even with things improving slightly, it's the main achilles heel of the team.

And so, they are going to have to add a piece or two to get them through the rest of the season when the deadline comes around.

They could try for St. Louis Cardinals All-Star closer Ryan Helsley and move Romano to a setup spot. He'll be the best reliever available, and there may not be that many options on the table.

But the Phillies could thrust their way back into World Series contention with a big addition or two for the bullpen.

It will be interesting to see what they decide to do.

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