The Philadelphia Phillies could be one-stop shoppers to upgrade their bullpen and outfield offense come the July 31 trade deadline.
The Philadelphia Phillies could be one-stop shoppers to upgrade their bullpen and outfield offense come the July 31 trade deadline. A top MLB reporter is proposing a blockbuster trade that would net three former All-Stars from the Baltimore Orioles.
New York Post’s Jon Heyman believes the Phillies would be able to pry center fielder Cedric Mullins, closer Felix Bautista and left-handed reliever Gregory Soto for starting pitcher Mick Abel (No. 5 prospect – 86th overall) and right-handed pitching prospect Jean Cabrera (No. 12 prospect).
“Fans might revolt if the Orioles trade Bautista, but Abel is a huge prospect. If one team could afford to surrender him, it’s the Phillies, who’ll have Andrew Painter up soon to join what is arguably the league’s best rotation,” notes Heyman.
Heyman added that this package is more tolerable for Philadelphia because they wouldn’t have to give up top-tier prospects like Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford if they tried to acquire left fielder Steven Kwan and closer Emmanuel Clase from the Cleveland Guardians.
“Sure, a Steven Kwan and Emmanuel Clase combo would be even better, but that would also require more prospects (and it’s hard to see the Guardians parting with Kwan, much less Clase, anyway),” Heyman explained.
Bautista would be the prize of the package as he’s the shutdown arm the bullpen desperately needs, especially since southpaw Jose Alvarado is serving an 80-game PED suspension and is prohibited from pitching in the postseason if the Phillies make it that far. He has returned to his 2023 All-Star form after missing all of last year following Tommy John surgery, recording a 2.41 ERA in 34 appearances while striking out 48 across 33 2/3 innings. He won’t be a free agent until after the 2027 season.
Mullins, an All-Star in 2021, would help fill an offensive void in center field where a platoon of Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas have combined for a .632 OPS (22nd in baseball) and are tied for 29th with three home runs. Mullins, a free agent after the season, has 13 home runs and a .713 OPS in 79 games.
Soto was originally traded to the Orioles from Philadelphia at last year’s deadline for pitching prospects Seth Johnson and Moises Chace. The left-hander has regressed after being a two-time All-Star with the Detroit Tigers. Across 65 appearances with Baltimore, he has a 4.21 ERA and 1.344 WHIP. He wasn’t much better during his time in Philadelphia, posting a 4.42 ERA and 1.307 WHIP in 112 games.
With the elite pitching staff the Phillies boast, adding Bautista and Mullins immediately elevates two areas of need that they will need to rely on come October.
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