In a rare trade between division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies have acquired left-hander Brooks Raley from the New York Mets for two minor leaguers to strengthen their struggling bullpen.
The Mets received High-A right-hander Luke Gabrysh and High-A outfielder John Spikerman.
Raley, 38, was perhaps the best left-handed reliever available on the trade market a year after returning from Tommy John surgery. He'll join Philadelphia with a 1.96 ERA in 41⅓ innings across 45 appearances this season. Although he has been more effective against left-handed hitters, the splits are not drastic -- left-handed batters are hitting .186 with a .542 OPS against, while righties are hitting .216 with a .636 OPS.
The Phillies, one of the hottest teams in baseball in May and June, had lost nine of 10 games before beating the Baltimore Orioles on consecutive days over the weekend in large part because of their relief corps. Their 5.70 bullpen ERA since July 1 ranks 27th in the majors.
Philadelphia's bridge to All-Star closer Jhoan Duran, one of the best relievers in baseball, needed bolstering. The Phillies' veteran president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, never afraid to make win-now moves, targeted reinforcements and landed two in the form of Raley and right-hander Caleb Kilian, who was acquired from the San Francisco Giants with All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez earlier Monday.
On the other end, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is unloading veterans from his $375 million roster and pivoting away from a terrible 2026 season. Raley is the fourth veteran the last-place Mets have traded since Thursday. Reliever A.J. Minter was traded to the Minnesota Twins, starter Freddy Peralta was sent to the Tampa Bay Rays, and reliever Huascar Brazoban landed with the Chicago White Sox.
The Mets are expected to make more moves by Monday's 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, with starter Clay Holmes, reliever Luke Weaver, and outfielders Tyrone Taylor and Luis Robert Jr. the likeliest to be sent to contenders.