He redrew the field.
Luis Arraez will play second base. Bryson Stott will move to third. Alec Bohm will shift across the diamond to first. Bryce Harper will return to right field for the first time in years.
Andrew Painter, despite an uneven introduction to the major leagues, remains the Phillies’ answer at the back of the rotation. Bryan De La Cruz, rather than another external acquisition, will receive an opportunity to claim regular at-bats.
The Phillies added talent before Monday’s deadline. They also accepted considerable risk.
“Sometimes you have to take a little bit of an adventurous look at your club when you look at moving positions around,” Dombrowski said. “We think it will work for us.”
That adventurous approach began with Harper.
The Phillies could not have acquired Arraez from the San Francisco Giants without first determining whether Harper was willing to leave first base. Harper had periodically expressed an openness to returning to the outfield, but the possibility became tangible as Philadelphia’s pursuit of Arraez intensified.
Manager Don Mattingly confirmed Harper’s willingness. Harper later reinforced it himself, texting Dombrowski as the Phillies moved closer to completing the trade.
“His volunteering opened up the door for us to go ahead and get an infielder,” Dombrowski said. “If he didn’t want to go to the outfield, we wouldn’t have been able to add another infielder at this point.”
That flexibility allowed the Phillies to acquire a hitter unlike anyone else in their lineup.
Arraez does not depend on power to create offense. He reaches base, makes consistent contact and rarely strikes out, giving Philadelphia another way to construct innings around Harper, Kyle Schwarber and the middle of the order.
“We added the leading hitter in the league to the offense and a different type of hitter than we have,” Dombrowski said. “Somebody that gets on base, sets the stage for some of our big guys, doesn’t strike out as often and can do things with the bat.”
Dombrowski also praised Arraez’s personality and makeup, describing him as a player the organization believes will fit comfortably inside the clubhouse.
The offensive fit is easy to understand. The defensive consequences are more complicated.
Dombrowski insisted the Phillies believe the new alignment has a chance to make them better defensively. He views Arraez as comparable to Stott at second, remains confident in Stott’s ability to handle third and likes Bohm at first.
“We think we have a chance to be,” Dombrowski said when asked whether the Phillies could improve defensively. “Arraez, we think, is a pretty equal situation at second base. We like Stott at third base. He’s been a good third baseman when he played there before. It’ll take him a little while to get up to it, and we like Bohm at first base.”
The Phillies do not view the alignment as permanent.
Dombrowski still considers Stott a second baseman and does not envision Harper remaining in right field long term. The immediate concern is preparing both players for different throwing demands. Harper must rebuild his arm for regular outfield throws, while Stott must adjust to throwing across the diamond.
“The two things that we worry more about with both of them is we have to make sure that their arms adjust to the new position,” Dombrowski said.
The most significant deadline decision, however, may have involved a player the Phillies did not acquire.
Philadelphia explored the starting-pitching market and spoke with numerous clubs. Dombrowski acknowledged some concern about the organization’s rotation depth, but the Phillies were unwilling to acquire a veteran merely to create the appearance of having addressed the fifth spot.
Painter’s recent progress changed their calculation.
Dombrowski said Painter’s previous starts in the minors, along with his improved ability to recognize mechanical problems and adjust his pitches, gave the organization greater confidence in moving forward with him.
“It made quite a bit of difference,” Dombrowski said. “If we were going to do it and add somebody, they would have had to be significantly better, in our opinion, than Andrew—rather than just acquiring another arm.”
That was an unmistakable vote of confidence.
Several National League contenders added established starters. The Phillies chose Painter, believing that the available fifth-starter alternatives were not better enough to justify their acquisition cost.
“Do you end up getting a guy that’s a fifth starter that you don’t think is as good as your guy that you have now?” Dombrowski said. “Or do what we’re doing? And we figured we’d do what we were doing—help our bullpen.”
That led Philadelphia to Brooks Raley and Caleb Kilian.
Dombrowski described Raley as an effective reliever against both left-handed and right-handed hitters, pointing to his breaking ball, command and ability to escape difficult situations.
“His fastball is average-ish, but his breaking ball is good,” Dombrowski said. “He commands his pitches. He throws strikes. He gets out of big situations.”
The endorsement extended beyond the front office. Dombrowski noted that Phillies hitters did not enjoy facing Raley, reinforcing the organization’s belief that he can become an important left-handed complement in the bullpen.
The Phillies also evaluated external right-handed bats but ultimately decided to trust De La Cruz.
“We’ve been happy with the job that De La Cruz has done,” Dombrowski said. “We feel he’s earned that opportunity.”
Dombrowski said the organization liked De La Cruz during spring training and believes he made meaningful adjustments after struggling earlier in the season.
“We think he’ll be a solid contributor,” he said.
Taken together, the deadline revealed how Dombrowski views the Phillies.
He believes Arraez can transform the top of the lineup. He believes Harper and Stott can handle unfamiliar defensive responsibilities. He believes Bohm remains a valuable run producer. He believes De La Cruz deserves a legitimate opportunity.
Most importantly, he believes Painter is better than the rotation alternatives the Phillies could have acquired.
Philadelphia did not eliminate every weakness Monday. Dombrowski instead constructed a roster that will depend on adaptability, internal improvement and several significant projections being correct.
The Phillies added players at the deadline.
They also doubled down on the players they already had.
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