Harper: 'Everybody in baseball' knows what Phillies need at deadline - theScore

What the report says

theScore reported that Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper said the club’s needs ahead of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline are widely understood around the sport, pointing broadly to possible help in the bullpen, the lineup or the starting rotation. Harper told MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki on Monday that players are available and that Philadelphia has a chance to pursue additions, while also saying roster decisions belong to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski rather than him.

The clearest concern identified in the report is the back end of the Phillies’ rotation. Philadelphia is 5-21 in games not started by Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo or Aaron Nola, and the fifth rotation spot has not produced a win since May 18. theScore also noted the club ranks 16th in MLB with a .402 slugging percentage and has a .304 on-base percentage, ahead of only the Toronto Blue Jays.

Harper’s comments came amid his own recent slump. According to theScore, he is hitting .163 with three home runs, 13 RBIs and a .632 OPS over his past 24 games, though he hit his 22nd homer of the season in Monday’s 8-7 loss to the Miami Marlins.

At the time of the report, Philadelphia was 57-50, second in the NL East and 5.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies held the second National League wild-card position, two games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks, making the deadline period significant for a team trying to secure a postseason spot.