2024 Trade Deadline Speculation

[zambonir]

Starters are expensive though. There are scenarios, yeah, but it feels like gilding the lily. They already have enough arms to go with a six-man rotation, most of whom are still better than most teams' third starter (not Walker, but Sanchez, and Turnbull if he comes back healthy and Phillips for as long as he can get away with it).

Now, we'd really be talking if they did put Turnbull into another trade, or figured out a way to offload Walker's contract without having to include an extra prospect (just money).

[Austinfan]

I don't think Ranger or Suarez are really suited to bullpen work. Same with Walker.
Ideal conversion is guy with 1-2 secondaries and a FB that ticks up 2-3 MPH out of the pen.
Wheeler for example would probably be back to 97 out of the pen for one inning, but he's too valuable for that role.

[VoteForKalas]

I think it would be hard for Ranger or Suarez to pitch with half a body lol

[nycphils]

I don’t think it is realistic to expect they will transition Ranger to the bullpen and then back to the rotation for the playoffs, but otherwise that is a pretty strange take since Ranger was excellent out of the bullpen a couple of years ago.

[zambonir]

Yes, Ranger is demonstrably suited to bullpen work, as well as to a flex role. It would be curious to limit him in that way given how excellent he was to start the season, let alone squander assets trying to do better, but neither his excellence nor his durability is a sure thing right now.

And Sanchez has also spent most of his MLB career as a reliever. Not a memorable one, but he can do it. And will, unless he's left off the NLDS roster entirely.

[Austinfan]

Ranger hasn't pitched out of the pen since 2021.
He was effective, but moved into the starting rotation in August.
Most of his relief appearances were with 2-3 days rest.

[Philsmania]

Ranger hasn't pitched out of the pen since 2021.
He was effective, but moved into the starting rotation in August.
Most of his relief appearances were with 2-3 days rest.

It was the Postseason but Suarez did pitch out of the bullpen to closeout the 2022 NLCS clincher two days after he started Game 3.

[nycphils]

Not sure that Bowden’s views should be given much weight and don’t think he has any sources, but here was a deal he described when asked “what would it take”:

Arozerena and Pete Fairbanks from the Rays

For

Rojas, Caba, Rincones and one of McFarlane/McGowan/other lower level pitching prospect

[schillingfan]

After this awfu road trip I think we’re going to get another bullpen arm. I guess the first half was too good to be true.

[zambonir]

He was literally the closer in 2021 for a while. They also were clearly ready to use him out of the pen in the 2023 playoffs, it just didn't end up lining up that way (in the NLDS because it ended without needing him, in the NLCS because they needed him as a starter).

He's too good to actually convert to relief as things stand today, but if the Phillies were really going to go out and get some of the names mentioned, someone does lose their top four rotation spot.

[andyb]

Bowden's latest suggestion is Robert for Crawford and Abel. More realistic than the last one though I hate trading Abel for a discount (and teams may not want him now anyway).

[zambonir]

Well, maybe trading a tarnished top three prospect saves you from trading two other top 10 pitchers instead. But that, on the one hand, still seems like a lot for a player with some flaws, and not enough if other teams want him or the Sox are content to keep him one more season.

[VoteForKalas]

Ughh, I dislike that trade

[zambonir]

I wouldn't worry about it. Just another Bowden fantasy baseball column. Gelb says the Phillies have little interest in trading Crawford, Painter or Miller, which also pretty much means they aren't in the market for an "impact-type" player. Platoon LF and pen remain priority; he dismisses ("according to multiple major league sources") any talk of starting pitchers.

Phillies takeaways: Latest on trade deadline aims, bullpen letdowns and more

[andyb]

Our two top picks in the draft this year probably do increase the possibility of dealing Crawford. Much depends I think on whether the decision-makers think Rojas will ever hit enough and the book is still very unclear on that. I think Crawford will hit enough to be a starting CF. The question for him is whether he will ever have enough power to be a good starting CF.

[Austinfan]

Crawford will develop power with that frame.
If he's a plus fielding CF with elite speed, OBP would be more important than OPS anyway.
Same holds for Caba.

[julio]

If he's a plus fielding CF with elite speed, OBP would be more important than OPS anyway.

This is really a key. If a player with speed and defense brings a high enough OBP, SLG really does become a luxury. If you have both, you're a superstar. We want superstars, of course, but we don't need eight of them in the lineup.

[Austinfan]

If Crawford and Caba can give you OPB > .350 at the top of the lineup with the speed to pressure pitchers, that a great table setter.

I think the guy under the radar right now is Ricones, who seems to be finally healthy, He could be the replacement for Castellanos in 2027. With Crawford, Ricones, Lee Sang and Pineda the Reading OF ain't a bad group. Unfortunately, Ethan Wilson is looking like a wasted 2nd rd pick.

[andyb]

There are serious doubts about whether Crawford will develop the power to be a good starting CF. And without some power it will be hard to get a 350+ OBP. That is part of Stott's problem now. The jury is still very much out on Crawford as it is with most prospects. Right now Rojas has very little power also. He chases pitches out of the zone and can't do much with pitches in the zone. Crawford has a better hit tool foundation than Rojas, but changing his swing to add power could subtract from other aspects of his game.

[nycphils]

If we want a difference maker, that requires trading top prospects. The fantasy that we can hold onto them all and still make a big move is just that - fantasy. Miller and Painter should clearly be untouchable, since they can be foundational players if they work out, and the evidence thus far for working out is pretty good.

I can understand the thought that Crawford is in that same class, but we do have plenty of fairly high ceiling CF prospects, and the same goes for Caba at SS as well (including Miller).