The trade deadline has passed, and the Phillies made their moves. Are Michael Lorenzen and Rodolfo Castro enough to keep this team in playoff position? Will the choice not to add a righty corner bat come back to bite them? Did the rest of the National League Wild Card contenders do enough to make the Phils sweat? Paul and Matt dive in.
Trades are picking up league-wide, but the Phillies have yet to make their move(s). Does the relative silence mean something different is cooking? Is a new pickup as important as getting the guys already in-house to play better? Paul and Matt check in on the even of Tuesday's trade deadline after an uninspiring weekend against the Pirates.
After a disappointing two-series-loss week, Paul and Matt regroup to talk surgery impacts for Andrew Painter, Bryce Harper's immediate doubt allaying, the side effects of rostering Noah Song, and a Hall of Fame diversion.
Paul and Matt run through Bryce Harper's imminent debut at first base, the latest shifts and shake-ups in the trade market, and even a little dabble in Immaculate Grid (spoilers 36:19-42:00). Editor's note: If the Phillies picked up the #4 seed, they'd likely be in line to face Atlanta if they advanced, despite what we say in the episode. The new format still gets us every now and then.
Paul and Matt hit the All-Star break to talk first-half MVPs, set the stage for the July trade market, and more.
Bryce Harper's power outage has been a bit of a concern, but he's not alone. The Phillies are lacking consistent pop up and down the lineup, which has Paul and Matt scratching their heads a bit despite the team's recent 15-5 stretch. Also, what does Alec Bohm's future hold? Plus, with the landscape of buyers and sellers still in flux, a broad look at what July's trading season could bring and why Paul Goldschmidt almost certainly won't be the play. Also new this week: We've partnered with the fo...
Hey! Two good weeks in a row! Paul still isn't totally convinced, but wins are wins and the Phils are banking them. Meanwhile, Matt's got lots of good news and notes, including a note on a Braves player that shook Paul to his core.
Paul and Matt are feeling better than they were this time last week; winning ballgames will do that for a person. Now, having won 6 of their last 7, the Phils head back west for a swing with the first-place Diamondbacks and last-place (though buoyed!) Athletics. Travel grievances, a revisitation of 2016, and bullpen configurations within.
Paul and Matt decide to get objective with their fears and concerns by putting together a tidy little four-round Concern Draft. Come in and bathe in some aired grievances and worries, the water's (definitely not) fine!
Underperformance ahoy! After taking the holiday week off, Paul and Matt are back to mull over the fate of fifth starters league-wide, the historically woeful top of the lineup, and rocket metaphors.
Paul and Matt, barely hanging on to sanity after just one (1) game in San Francisco, mull over the 5th starter situation, the differing levels of concern over the struggling Bryson Stott and Edmundo Sosa, and some cool things happening in Clearwater.
What will a "good" season in 2023 look like? Through a month and change, ERAs are way up, and offense is thriving well ahead of schedule. How does that change or perspective on the seasons various Phillies are having? How much will a change in the batting order help, hurt, or even matter? And is this week's Dollar Dog Night the last one...ever? Paul and Matt have you covered.
Armed with lots of coffee, Paul and Matt set the stage for Bryce Harper's dramatic early return from Tommy John surgery on Tuesday, and the homecoming to follow next weekend. Plus a little bit of nervousness around Taijuan Walker that all that caffeine probably didn't help with.
The Phillies are drawing big crowds! Bryce Harper is not made of normal flesh and blood! The bullpen is looking great! Only two of these things are literally true, but it's getting tougher to convince us of that. Paul and Matt come down off of the good week that was and look ahead to a tougher stretch against Seattle and Houston.
Paul and Matt buy and sell some early-season trends, with an eye toward Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh, as well as and Matt Strahm and Seranthony Domínguez. That's probably gonna take more than just one eye, actually. Matt's latest mailbag: https://theathletic.com/4419010/2023/04/17/phillies-lineup-changes-matt-strahm/
Paul and Matt recap the Phillies' slow start and home opener festivities, with cheers for the sophomore batters and jeers for any pitcher's ability to throw strikes. Except for José Alvarado. He is precious.
The 2023 season is here, and hope is abundant. Projections, prognostications, and more from Paul and Matt as they get you set for 2023 Phillies baseball on Opening Day. Logo and redesign by the wonderful Cailin Ann Giles. Philastrations on Etsy
They almost made it! With less than a week to go before Opening Day, an awful injury has hit the Phils as Rhys Hoskins has torn the ACL in his left knee. The impending free agent's future is in doubt, and the Phillies have some problems of their own to solve. Will the team make a move? Is it all up to the guys in-house? Paul and Matt walk through it all.
It's a bare-knuckle pugilist's paradise in the battle for the final spots on the Opening Day roster. Who's got the edge? What does the recent revelation of Bryce Harper's non-60-day IL placement really mean? How cool is it that Matt Strahm is going full-on Swiss Army Knife? And, oh yeah, how about that Trea Turner guy? Paul and Matt check in one last time before the end of the spring to catch up on the latest and greatest from Clearwater.
While the feeling is it's likely the Phillies avoided catastrophe with Andrew Painter, the team is still awaiting the world's longest second opinion. While that happens, Bailey Falter slides into the driver's seat for SP5, Alec Bohm brings a clearer head to this year's slate of spring games, and the battle for the bench begins to heat up. Paul and Matt have you covered.
The offseason is truly over: Spring Training games are here! Paul and Matt get together on the eve of Saturday's split squad lid-lifter to go over the players they're most interested to see (non-Painter & co. edition), which players might see action and when ahead of the World Baseball Classic, and share a little bewilderment about the twists and turns in the Noah Song Saga.
The world's foremost The Last of Us recap podcast returns...only to be immediately hijacked by baseball talk. Spring is here, the Phillies are filing into camp, and the energy is just plain good . Paul and Matt revisit the recent contract extensions for José Alvarado and Seranthony Domínguez, and dive a bit more into the forthcoming Andrew Painter Saga (with only as much wet blanketing as is contractually mandated). Matt's story on Andrew Painter: https://theathletic.com/4227439/2023/02/20/phill...
It's been a few weeks since we last checked in, and while that would normally mean there would be lots of news and moves to review...that's not the case! Josh Harrison is back, and that's about all that's really happened since early January. What IS new, though, are the results of Matt's annual fan survey on The Athletic , published earlier this week. Paul and Matt go over some of their favorite answers, and the general feeling is this: Let the good times roll. Check out the pre-2022 survey resu...
Happy new year! Paul and Matt are back to recap the past couple of weeks' moves, reassess the likely roster in the wake of those moves, and get set for the arbitration figure exchange deadline approaching at the end of the week.
Back in October (remember that month? Cool month), we asked for your position-by-position picks for the 2012-21 Phillies All-Drought Team. Who best represented the lean years, for you? We have the results! Plus an intro of Nola extension talk and possibilities, a new option for Cris Sánchez, and the overnight Carlos Correa news and its division impacts.
Paul and Matt revisit the action-packed Winter Meetings, survey the Phillies' situation in the wake of their deals (both confirmed and as-yet-unconfirmed), and go a little sicko mode on the Rule 5 Draft.
There it is: The Phillies (reportedly) get their man on the first full day of the Winter Meetings. The club agreed to terms on an 11-year, $300 million deal with the star shortstop, and Paul and Matt hopped back in the saddle to talk through it. The short version? Feels good man.
Matt's back! And the Winter Meetings are in-person again! Paul and Matt set the stage for what could be a busy few days, with thoughts on the state of the free agent market and how it could and would affect the Phillies, as well as planning to recapture the innings lost from the departures of Zach Eflin and Kyle Gibson. Plus a little Rule 5 talk, which you might dig if you're a Level 3 sicko.
Bryce Harper's surgery, a POBO Dombo (we're calling him that, right?) extension, a trade that almost was, and a little Hall of Fame-ing.
Awards announcements have come and gone, with few surprises...except maybe that 5th-place finish for Rob Thomson. Some small roster moves (Johan Rojas, Sam Coonrod) and thoughts on Bryce Harper's path to and through elbow surgery later this month.
