The Phillies are taking their first real shot at a National League East title since 2011.

They acquired right-hander Kyle Gibson, closer Ian Kennedy, Double-A pitching prospect Hans Crouse and about $4 million in cash in a trade with Texas; shortstop Freddy Galvis and cash in a trade with Baltimore; and Triple-A pitcher Braeden Ogle in a trade with Pittsburgh before Friday¡¯s 4 p.m. ET Trade Deadline. Gibson bolsters a rotation that badly needs help, Kennedy improves a bullpen that has struggled for years, Galvis upgrades a porous infield and Crouse and Ogle replenish the organization¡¯s pitching depth.

The Phillies sent right-hander Spencer Howard and Minor League pitchers Kevin Gowdy and Josh Gessner to the Rangers; Minor League pitcher Tyler Burch to the Orioles; and Minor League catcher Abrahan Gutierrez to the Pirates.

¡°We think we made ourselves better,¡± Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Friday evening. ¡°We¡¯re really happy with what took place. We think it gives us a chance to win -- a little better chance to win -- based upon what we did.¡±

Gibson, who is signed through 2022, is 6-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 19 starts. He should help a rotation that is remarkably thin behind right-handers Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Right-hander Zach Eflin is on the injured list with tendinitis in his right knee. Dombrowski said they hope Eflin returns in 2-3 weeks. Right-hander Vince Velasquez, who started Friday in Pittsburgh, has a 7.74 ERA in 10 starts since May 25. He has pitched five or more innings in eight of 16 starts. Left-hander Matt Moore, who is scheduled to start Monday, has a 6.98 ERA in nine starts. He has pitched five or more innings three times.

Gibson, meanwhile, made his first All-Star team this season. He was 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his first 16 starts. He has pitched six or more innings 14 times.

¡°We needed a starting pitcher to help us,¡± Dombrowski said. ¡°I do still remain optimistic that [Eflin is] going to come back ¡­ because otherwise [Gibson] just replaces Zach, right? I¡¯m hoping Zach will be back and all of a sudden we¡¯ll be running four established starting pitchers out there who have been successful at the big league level and then fill-in on that fifth spot.¡±

That fifth spot could be free-agent left-hander Cole Hamels. Dombrowski said they are discussing the possibility.

Kennedy, who is a free agent after the season, has a 2.51 ERA and 16 saves in 32 appearances. If he becomes the Phillies¡¯ closer -- at the very least he will pitch in the late innings -- it deepens a bullpen that has tried three different closers this season: H¨¦ctor Neris, Jos¨¦ Alvarado and current closer Ranger Su¨¢rez.

Phillies fans know Galvis, who played in Philadelphia from 2012-17. He is a stellar defender, so he should help the Phillies do something they have not done nearly enough: make routine plays. Galvis has a .720 OPS and a 97 OPS+, which compares favorably to Didi Gregorius, who has a .645 OPS and a 75 OPS+ and has struggled defensively.

Galvis is on the injured list with a quad strain, but the Phillies hope he can return soon. Dombrowski stopped short of defining Galvis¡¯ role, other than saying he provides depth at multiple positions. But the possibility exists that he could play regularly at shortstop, if Gregorius continues to struggle.

¡°We know Didi is a better player than he¡¯s played so far,¡± Dombrowski said. ¡°I think he¡¯ll step up.¡±

Crouse was 3-2 with a 3.35 ERA in 13 starts with Double-A Frisco. MLB Pipeline immediately ranked him as the Phillies¡¯ No. 4 prospect. Ogle was 2-2 with a 3.13 ERA in 24 appearances with Triple-A Indianapolis.

¡°Part of the key for us, if we were going to trade a guy like Spencer Howard, we wanted to get an arm back and we like Hans Crouse a lot,¡± Dombrowski said. ¡°We think he¡¯s very good, a very quality prospect.¡±

The Phillies finally parted ways with Howard, who entered the season as the organization¡¯s No. 1 prospect and a Top 100 prospect in baseball. Howard has tremendous stuff, but he is a work in progress. He struggled the second time through the lineup and has not pitched more than four innings this season. If the Phillies want to take a run at the division title, they could not afford to nurse him along.

¡°With us trying to win, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s really enough [innings] right now from that spot,¡± Dombrowski said.

The Phillies entered Friday night¡¯s game at 51-51, 3 1/2 games behind the Mets and a half-game ahead of the Braves. The Mets acquired Javier B¨¢ez, Rich Hill and Trevor Williams before the Deadline. Carlos Carrasco rejoined the rotation on Friday, although Jacob deGrom suffered a setback and might not return until September. The Braves got Richard Rodr¨ªguez, Jorge Soler, Adam Duvall and Eddie Rosario on Friday.

¡°Of course, we¡¯ve got to take care of it on the field,¡± Dombrowski said. ¡°But we think we¡¯re better.¡±