Dave Dombrowski’s best, worst Phillies trade deadline acquisitions

Dave Dombrowski is entering his fifth trade deadline with the Phillies. Will the future Hall of Fame executive take his biggest swing yet as Philadelphia’s head of baseball operations?

Dombrowski, known for his comfort level with moving prospects for win-now players in previous stops, has shown more restraint during his time with the club. His most transformative deadline in 2022 led to the Phillies adding a starting center fielder, a key utility player and two arms that took down key innings on the way to a World Series appearance.

With fans craving a big move, it’s time for our staff to take a look at some of Dombrowski’s best — and worst — deadline acquisitions as Phillies president of baseball operations.

Best: Brandon Marsh

While he’s having the worst statistical season he’s had with the Phillies, Brandon Marsh has been the best player acquired by Dombrowski. Marsh has been playing out of position for most of this year in center field while being inconsistent at the plate, but the 27-year-old has mostly been a reliable contributor while with the Phillies. Marsh is hitting .264/.343/.423 as a Phillie — good enough for an adjusted OPS 10 percent better than league average. He’s also shown the ability to play plus defense at times, especially when manning left field. Marsh hasn’t been great in his three-plus seasons in Philadelphia, but he’s been solid more often than not. — Bailey Digh

Worst: Rodolfo Castro

Acquired from the Pirates at the deadline two seasons ago by Dombrowski, Rodolfo Castro has only appeared in 14 games for the Phillies. The move made sense at the time. Castro was a utility infielder having a good year against left-handed pitching, hitting .290/.368/.538 against southpaws. He could’ve been a solid role player. But he was barely used once acquired. He didn’t hit at all when given chances. Castro went 3-for-30 with the Phillies in 2023 with no extra-base hits. He hasn’t appeared in a game for them since and is no longer on the club’s 40-man roster. For Castro, the Phillies traded Bailey Falter, a pitcher they haven’t had much of a need for. But Falter has been around a league-average pitcher for the Pirates, posting a 4.36 ERA across 291 innings in 59 appearances (56 starts). Hindsight says this trade was a flop. — Bailey Digh

This isn’t even about how serviceable Falter has been in Pittsburgh, or a verdict on whether it would’ve happened in Philadelphia, or about the fact that he’d still have a tough time cracking the Phillies’ rotation. It’s about the fact that Castro was the addition offensively of the 2023 deadline and has been a complete non-factor. He’s still in the organization after re-signing on a minor league deal in the offseason. — Nathan Ackerman

Best: Edmundo Sosa

It’s no steal; Left-hander JoJo Romero has been quite good with the Cardinals (3.19 ERA in 144 innings). This is more a testament to how surprisingly important Edmundo Sosa has become — from the offensive sparkplug he provides to the versatility in the field on a defensively-challenged group. He’s the type of player that championship teams have, and if the Phillies become one, he’ll factor. — Nathan Ackerman

Worst: Michael Lorenzen

This one still hurts. The Michael Lorenzen pickup looked like a stroke of genius after he threw a no-hitter in his first start at Citizens Bank Park as a Phillie. It’s less about the player’s performance and more about what the front office failed to acquire at the 2023 deadline. Lorenzen, who the Phillies saw as someone who could transition from the rotation to the bullpen, did not fill an important role for them in October. They could have really used another leverage arm at the deadline. Instead, the Phillies were short on arms — and had to go to Craig Kimbrel one too many times in the NLCS. — Destiny Lugardo

Best: Noah Syndergaard

My colleagues are right: Either Marsh or Sosa is the best Phillies trade deadline acquisition of the Dombrowski era. But it’s worth appreciating Syndergaard’s contributions during the 2022 postseason run. Acquired in a deadline deal that sent Mickey Moniak and Jadiel Sanchez to Anaheim, Syndergaard started the Game 4 clincher in the NLDS against the Braves three days after giving the Phillies a scoreless inning in Game 2. He appeared out of the bullpen in a wild 10-7 win in Game 4 of the NLCS and gave his team a chance to win as the Game 5 starter in the World Series. Not bad for a pitcher many believed had nothing left in the tank. — Destiny Lugardo