If the Phillies want to win their first World Series since 2008, they are going to have to address two familiar bugaboos. The bullpen has once again been a work in progress, as Jordan Romano has failed to replace departed closer Jeff Hoffman and lefty specialist Jose Alvarado will be ineligible for postseason play after receiving an 80-game PED suspension.

The trades happen suddenly, and often with little or no warning. Said Brandon Marsh: “I get brought into the office, shook hands, and there it was.”

Is there a more obvious buyer in baseball than the Philadelphia Phillies? A handful of other teams just might be on the same level, but no one is more heavily in the category of buyer.  Consider that the Phillies made the World Series in 2022,