The 2021 MLB Trade Deadline has emerged, and there have been plenty of trades that have been completed already. But one team that has not made any trades yet is our Philadelphia Phillies. Current President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, is known for his big trades to make his team better, so the question is: Will there be a trade made by Dombrowski and the Phillies? Some people feel the team should buy as they are only 3.5 games behind the New York Mets at the time this was written. But there are others who feel that the team should either stay put, or even sell, as they feel they are nowhere near contention. Well in the upcoming trades being proposed, imagine the Phillies are a team who are buying to compete and attempt to win the division. Before the trades begin, I want to let everyone know that I am not a general manager in the MLB, so the packages being offered might not be completely accurate or fair. Therefore, I apologize if any of these trades seem lopsided towards one team or another.
Trade One:
In Trade Number One, Dave Dombrowski would be reaching out to the Chicago Cubs to pursue their closer, Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel has been one of the top closers in baseball this season, and would provide a massive improvement for the Phillies bullpen. In Kimbrel, the Phillies would have a closer who has been dominant, having 23 saves in 25 opportunities, along with an ERA of 0.49. Another reason that Kimbrel is an attractive option for the Phillies is the fact that the Cubs are entering a rebuild, and are currently trading their main core away. Andrew Chafin was traded to the Oakland Athletics, Ryan Tepera to the Chicago White Sox, and Anthony Rizzo to the New York Yankees. There will surely be more trades to come from the Cubs front office, and Craig Kimbrel should be one of them. The Phillies package to acquire Craig Kimbrel would involve outfielder Mickey Moniak and either starting pitcher Spencer Howard or starting pitcher Adonis Media. It would require a little bit of a package to acquire Kimbrel, and could most likely even require more than what was presented here.
Trade Two:
The second trade that Dave Dombrowksi completes in this hypothetical scenario is for a position of need for this Phillies team. This position of need is starting pitcher, and the player is Jon Gray of the Colorado Rockies. Besides bullpen help, the next position of need for this team is starting pitcher. Yes, they have Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, and Zach Eflin, but after that, it is a complete disaster. Making up the rest of the Phillies rotation is Matt Moore, Vince Velasquez, Chase Anderson, and Spencer Howard, which shows their need for a starting pitcher even more. This season, Jon Gray has a record of 6-6 with an ERA of 3.67, which would be a massive improvement for the 4th starter in this rotation. The 29 year-old pitcher is on a one-year contract, so he would be a rental pitcher for this Phillies team. Therefore, the package being offered by the Phillies is not as extreme as someone may have thought it would be. The Phillies would be offering catcher Rodolfo Duran, starting pitcher Tyler McKay, and a PTBNL. Overall, this Jon Gray trade is one that will be one of need for the Phillies, and should provide a much needed help for the rotation.
Trade Three:
Now before trade number three is presented, I just wanted to let everyone know this one is more of a dream trade for me, and one that I would love the Phillies to do. This trade would be for center fielder Byron Buxton and starting pitcher Jose Berrios. Yes, this trade would drain the little farm system that the Phillies have, but it is also one that fills two massive needs: starting pitcher and center fielder. While Buxton does tend to be a little bit on the injury prone side, he is a player that is electric and a top player in the league when healthy. This season he has had a small sample size of 103 AB’s, but he has produced in those at bats. Buxton has an average of .369, along with 10 home runs and 19 RBI’s. Buxton would provide an immediate upgrade over current Phillies center fielders, which include Odubel Herrera and Travis Jankowski. Now, the other player in this deal would be starting pitcher Jose Berrios. This season Berrios has a record of 7-5, along with an ERA of 3.48. As you read earlier, the Phillies have a massive need for a starting pitcher, and Berrios would provide exactly that. The Phillies rotation would include Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Zach Eflin, and Jose Berrios, which looks exciting to me for sure. But due to the fact that Buxton and Berrios are two solid players, the trade package to acquire them would cost a lot. My trade package to acquire them would include shortstop Bryson Stott, outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz, catcher Rafael Marchan, pitcher Spencer Howard, and pitcher Adonis Medina. Yes, I know it is a large package to give up, but it will be needed to acquire the two players in this deal.
My Opinion:
Now, after all these trades are known, I wanted to provide my opinion on what the Phillies should do this deadline. As much as I would love the Phillies to buy, buy, buy, it just does not make sense for them to do so. They have limited trade chips available to trade, and they are nowhere near contending for the World Series, and even the division! The Braves are injured this year and will be back next year, and the Mets could be a possible contender for years to come. Therefore, I feel that Dombrowski should stay patient and not trade any top prospects that the Phillies have, and just see what happens in the upcoming offseason.