June 18, 2025
Patrick Gorski/USA Today Sports
Could the Phillies make a splashy move for a Silver Slugging outfielder?
Trade season seems to have started a bit earlier than usual, with a splashy blockbuster earlier this week sending Rafael Devers from the Red Sox to the Giants.
The Phillies have a bevy of needs, but also ample time with the deadline still more than six weeks away at the end of July. But that hasn't stopped pundits from pondering some targets and good fits for the Phillies.
We'll start with a trade that The Athletic's Jim Bowden would "like to see" between the Phils and Orioles, a team they've already made a few swaps with recently. Bowden sees Philly making its own splash, trading away one of its best young pitchers to bolster both the bullpen and the outfield.
2. Orioles trade RHP Félix Bautista and CF Cedric Mullins to Phillies for RHP Mick Abel
The Phillies’ two biggest needs are closer and center field, and this scenario would hit both in one swap, even though it would come at a significant price. Bautista is one of the premier closers in baseball and is under team control through 2027. Mullins is an elite defensive center fielder who hits homers and steals bases, but he will be a free agent at season’s end. Bautista has logged a 3.04 ERA, 14 saves, and 31 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings in his first season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. Mullins is batting .233/.319/.450 with 11 homers and eight stolen bases.
The Orioles would address their key need, young controllable starting pitching, in acquiring Abel, a 23-year-old who has a chance to become an ace if he continues to develop and his command and control improve. After a rough 2024 season, he has impressed this year, posting a 2.21 ERA with 17 strikeouts and only four walks in four starts with the Phillies, while logging a 2.21 ERA over 10 starts at Triple A. It would be tough for the Phillies to lose Abel, their first-round pick in 2020, but with a strong rotation and top prospect Andrew Painter, a future ace, on track to debut this summer, they might be willing to do this deal if they think Bautista and Mullins are the final pieces needed to win the World Series. [The Athletic]
Parting ways with Abel seems like a tough bill to swallow until you look further down the depth chart, seeing that the Phillies are flush with starting pitching – with Aaron Nola still working back from an injury – and Andrew Painter still not on the roster. It's a deal that would no doubt help the Phillies win now.
Over at MLB.com the Phillies are being connected to a trio of other players expected to be dealt this summer, like Jake Bird, a reliever from the Rockies under team control for a few more seasons, and Kyle Finnegan, a talented lifelong bullpen arm for the Nationals who we wrote about last week.
Baseball insider Mark Feinsand also thinks the Phils are still a candidate to trade for Luis Robert Jr., an outfielder from the White Sox who has fallen on some hard times.
Robert has been a popular trade candidate for more than a year, yet the White Sox have yet to move the center fielder to this point. Robert’s season has not gone well – he’s hitting .194 with a .590 OPS though 64 games – but he has 21 stolen bases and is playing solid defense, offering potential suitors speed and good glovework at a premium position. Robert has shown in the past that he can be an offensive contributor, so perhaps a move to a contender would unlock his potential. Robert is earning $15 million this season and has $20 million club options for both 2026 and 2027. [MLB.com]
Would the Phillies really be interested in an outfielder who doesn't have any kind of offensive consistency? The defense and power would certainly help and a change of scenery could be what the doctor ordered for the one-time All-Star.
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