Why the Phillies should trade for the “intriguing” reliever from the Rays at the deadline.

The Phillies of Philadelphia already boast a strong bullpen. But there’s never a bad moment to add relief arms in Major League Baseball.

Philadelphia has many powerful weapons at their disposal, including Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, and José Alvarado, who is expected to play in the All-Star Game. In an ideal world, though, they would have one more righty who has cashed out in close games.

Considering the rosters of the teams planning to sell, it hasn’t always seemed likely that a righty of that caliber will be accessible. However, it looks like another team is getting close to a sale, and the righty on that team’s roster would be the ideal addition for the Phillies.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Katie Woo, and Patrick Mooney provided a trade deadline news roundup, and one of the teams whose buy/sell decisions will have the most effects on the league as a whole will be the Tampa Bay Rays.

“The next two to three weeks are their playoffs — or at least, a critical period in determining whether they will continue pushing for the actual postseason, or continue trading off parts,” the piece stated.

The writers came to the conclusion that Pete Fairbanks, the Rays’ current closer, would be available for a fair price if the team choose to sell. Fairbanks is under team control through the 2026 campaign; he is 14 for 16 in save opportunities this season.

Fairbanks is an ideal fit for what the Phillies currently seek. He’s had at least a share of the Rays’ closer duties in each of the past three seasons, totaling 47 saves. He has a career 3.22 ERA and 2.87 FIP, with the nasty stuff to match the numbers.

With his extreme overhand arm slot, Fairbanks is a perfect compliment to Hoffman and Orion Kerkering among the righties currently in the Phillies’ bullpen. With one extra weapon to deploy, Rob Thomson could breathe easier at the end of tight games down the stretch.

Ultimately, it comes down to the Rays. If they do end up selling, there should be no reason the Phillies don’t at least make a serious run at acquiring such a potent relief weapon.