Heading into the trade deadline, it was evident that the Philadelphia Phillies needed an outfielder, specifically one who hits right-handed, to boost their team and improve their lineup.However, Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made an unexpected move. He acquired Luis Arraez, a left-handed hitting infielder, along with RHP Caleb Kilian from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for RHP Ramon Marquez and RHP Marty Gair.Dombrowski felt that Arraez was the right fit for Philadelphia’s lineup, even though he is the exact opposite of a right-handed hitting outfielder, which was thought to be the ideal addition to the lineup going into the trade deadline.Dombrowski was asked why he opted for Arraez rather than adding the right-handed bat that seemed like a more ideal fit going into the trade deadline.Dave Dombrowski reveals why Luis Arraez was right fit for PhilliesJun 24, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski prior to the game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect“When you look at a right-handed hitting outfielder, as far as an everyday guy that would be a force in the middle of the lineup, we could not find one out there,” Dombrowski said. “There were guys that we liked that we thought would make us better, but they were almost all platoon guys. … We just couldn’t find that guy. And then you start saying, ‘OK, well, how are we going to make our offense better?’”Arraez is a three-time batting champion with four All-Star appearances and a pair of Silver Slugger Awards under his belt. He is currently leading the National League with a .324 batting average. His ability to put the ball in play and get on base makes him one of the toughest hitters to face in the league, and it’s something that separates him from his peers.Despite making an unexpected addition to the roster, Dombrowski feels that they improved, adding a difference-maker to their team, and didn’t quite see that right-handed bat they were looking for.“We just couldn’t find that guy that was available that we thought was a legitimate upgrade of our club — but we felt that Arraez was,” Dombrowski said.Your first look at Luis Arraez in powder blue ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/RnRZ38C5I5— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 6, 2026Dombrowski spoke about the thought process behind deciding Arraez was the player they needed, including others’ opinions within the organization and figuring out how it could work with their roster. It was clear some maneuvering would need to happen.“If somebody had jumped up and down,” Dombrowski said, “and said there’s no way that we would be willing to do this, you would then need to approach: Well, how are we going to go about doing it? Is it the right move to make? So there were a lot of steps and thought processes beforehand. And then I think, when push came to shove, when you’re talking about a hitter and what we needed with the Arraez situation, they all fell into place.”Multiple positional changes needed to be made in order to make the Arraez deal work. Bryce Harper is making his return to the outfield, Bryson Stott is willing to move from second to third base and Alec Bohm will relocate from third to first.The team’s willingness to move around the diamond is what allowed Dombrowski to feel comfortable making this move that he believed was the right fit. Now, the Phillies have a three-time batting champion in their lineup.Sign up for our free newsletter to receive the latest news and updates!Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow