“I’ve had trade conversations earlier than I ever have… Other clubs haven’t been doing very well, either,” Dave Dombrowski said back in late April. After a 9-19 start to the season and the firing of manager Rob Thomson, getting a head start was the need of the hour. But did the Philadelphia Phillies actually help fill the gaps they had identified? Well, not so much…

They were in need of a right-handed batter, rotation help, and bullpen help, but the Phillies ended up acquiring lefty infielder Luis Arraez instead. However, even pulling off this trade with the San Francisco Giants was not an easy task for Dave Dombrowski. So, what really went on behind the scenes? Let’s hear it from the president of baseball operations for the Philadelphia Phillies.

“We were happy to get Arraez, but going into the All-Star break and then coming out of it and going into the trade deadline, our real thought process is we’d like to come up with a right-hand hitting bat if we could,” Dombrowski told the New York Post Sports.

“And really, for us, it would have to be in the outfield because our infield was pretty well set. The reality was that there just were not many people out there, if any, as you mentioned… So we were open-minded to try to help our offense any way we possibly could.”

The Philadelphia Phillies’ offense has been highly inconsistent this season. They currently rank 21st in the league in terms of batting average (.238). The Phillies are set to make it into the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season as they remain tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final two NL Wild Card spots. But to ensure a deep postseason run, they needed batting help.

With Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber both being left-handed hitters, a righty outfielder would have been ideal for the Phillies. However, as Dombrowski revealed, they failed to find a suitable candidate on the trade market.

Meanwhile, Harper had repeatedly told Dombrowski that he would move to the outfield if needed. With the 33-year-old’s reassurance, the President of Baseball Operations went ahead with the trade. Interim manager Don Mattingly, on the other hand, planned an infield shuffle. With Arraez as the new 2B, Alec Bohm moved to first and Bryson Stott to third.

But the roadblocks to acquiring Arraez did not stop at the Phillies needing a roster shuffle. The initial agreement between the two teams included a one-on-one deal — Arraez for prospect Ramon Marquez. But it fell through on Sunday night, as Bob Nightengale reported.

“The Phillies and Giants’ one-for-one deal of Arraez for prospect Ramon Marquez was dead late Sunday night, only for the San Francisco Giants to re-engage late in the night,” Nightengale revealed, via USA Today.

In the renewed negotiations, San Francisco added reliever Caleb Kilian to the package, and the Phillies added prospect Marty Gair. The trade became doubly lucrative for the Phillies as they not only got a boost in the lineup but also in the bullpen.

However, before the Phillies could truly enjoy the benefit, Caleb Kilian landed on the IL.

Phillies place Caleb Kilian on the IL

7 runs, 3.1 innings, and 4 appearances for the Philadelphia Phillies later, the 29-year-old has found himself on the injured list. Till now, he has posted a 13.50 ERA for the Phillies.

Ahead of the Phillies’ series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, the team placed Kilian on the 15-day IL. He is suffering from an oblique strain. Kilian appeared to suffer from the injury after securing a win against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday.

“Obviously, a little disappointing for us,” Don Mattingly said, per ESPN. “To lose anybody out of our pen is not great. So disappointing for us. Disappointing for him, I believe too. Guys don’t want to get hurt and not be in there. But we got to move on and the next guy up, kind of type thing, and we’ll go from there.”

The Phillies do not have a timeline for Kilian’s return, but Mattingly has reportedly confirmed it’s a moderate strain. For now, the Phillies have called up RHP Chase Shugart from Triple-A.