The Philadelphia Phillies were among the game's biggest disappointments through the first month of the 2026 Major League Baseball season. But things have turned around since the club fired former manager Rob Thomson and turned the keys over to Don Mattingly. Right now, the Phillies are 31-29. Philadelphia is 17-9 over its last 26 games and looks like the contender everyone expected them to be. Also, the Phillies have started to close the gap in the National League East a bit. Right now, the Phillies are in second place in the division and are 9 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place. The Phillies were aggressive and got themselves back into the mix. The Phillies are just one game out of a National League Wild Card spot as well. Over the next few months, the chatter around baseball is going to be all about the upcoming 2026 MLB trade deadline and The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal made the case for the Phillies to make a splash that would completely shake up the baseball world: Tarik Skubal. The Phillies Would Shake Up The Baseball WorldDetroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal talks to reporters before a game against the Boston Red Sox on May 4, 2026, at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. | Evan Petzold / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images"I included them largely because their owner, John Middleton, and their president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, are among the most competitive at their respective jobs," Rosenthal said. "I don't know if that's even in dispute. Those guys like to win. They want to win badly. And Dombrowski has never been afraid to make the big move at the deadline, or any other time for that matter.So, I don't know if they see it so much that the window is closing, as 'Hey, we have a good enough team, let's go for it. Let's make this happen.' Now, if you're a Phillies fan watching this, you're probably saying, 'Wait a second, the problem with this team isn't the starting rotation. The problem is the offense.' That's certainly true ... But at the same time, Dombrowkski historically loves pitching. ... I just don't rule out Dombrowski and Middleton in a situation like this."— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 2, 2026If the Phillies were to go out and acquire Skubal, that would be the type of move that immediately would catapult Philadelphia to the top of the National League contender list. The Phillies already have a guy who could win the National League Cy Young Award in Cristopher Sánchez. He and Zack Wheeler have been incredible and Jesús Luzardo has been solid. If you add Skubal to the mix of a team that also has Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto, Trea Turner, Brandon Marsh, and of course, Kyle Schwarber, you're going to make a deep run. Right now, the top contenders in the National League are the Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers. If the Phillies could land Skuball, they would top the list immediately. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow