The Phillies weren't waiting around for the big fish to close before making moves. Jon Heyman broke the news that Brooks Raley was headed to Philadelphia, kicking off a deadline morning that would end with the Phillies as one of the day's biggest winners.
Brooks Raley to Phillies
Mark Feinsand added the deal was Philly's second move of the morning, with Bob Nightengale first on the report. That's notable framing on its own: this wasn't a one-off panic add, it was part of a broader plan the front office had been building toward all deadline.
The Phillies make a second Deadline morning deal, acquiring Brooks Raley from the Mets, per source. @BNightengale was on it.
Raley, 38, has quietly been one of the more reliable arms in the Mets bullpen since New York got him from Tampa Bay after the 2022 season. He's posted a 2.31 ERA across 149 appearances in Queens, and he's been even better in 2026, sitting at a 1.96 ERA with 40 strikeouts over 41.1 innings. For a Phillies pen that's needed a trustworthy lefty option late in games, that's exactly the profile they were chasing.
The cost wasn't nothing, either. Heyman reported the Mets are getting outfielder John Spikerman and pitcher Luke Gabrysh in return, both 23-year-old prospects from Philly's 2024 draft class.
Mets receive prospects Spikerman and Gabrysh for Raley
Spikerman, a third-rounder, has been more speed and OBP than power this year, hitting.252/.423/.330 with 18 stolen bases and zero home runs in 32 games. Gabrysh, a 15th-round pick, has racked up 89 strikeouts but also gotten hit hard at High-A, allowing 11 homers with a 5.14 ERA across 18 appearances. It's a real cost, but a manageable one for a bullpen piece who's still under contract for the stretch run and beyond.
What made the Raley trade feel like a footnote by the end of the day was what came next: Philadelphia also landed three-time batting champion Luis Arraez from the Giants, giving the Phillies both a rotation upgrade for the lineup and reinforcements for the bullpen inside the same deadline morning. For a team that's been in win-now mode, that's about as aggressive a two-punch as you'll see from any front office this summer.