MLB Insider Jon Heyman proposed a blockbuster trade that would land the Philadelphia Phillies three former All-Stars at the cost of two pitching prospects.
MLB Insider Proposes Blockbuster Trade Landing Phillies Three Former All-Stars From Orioles originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Philadelphia Phillies went into the All-Star break with a half-game lead over the New York Mets for first place in the National League East. Despite a lot of negative noise around the Phillies' bullpen and outfield struggles, they've managed to remain one of the top teams in the National League.
However, with the MLB trade deadline at the end of the month, Philadelphia is expected to make some big moves.
One MLB Insider proposed a blockbuster trade this week that would bring three former All-Stars to Philadelphia in return for two prospects. The New York Post's Jon Heyman proposed that the Baltimore Orioles send closer Felix Bautista, reliever Gregory Soto, and centerfielder Cedric Mullins to the Phillies for prospects Mick Abel and Jean Cabrera.
“Fans might revolt if the Orioles trade Bautista, but Abel is a huge prospect," notes Heyman (h/t sportsnaut.com). "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."
The #Orioles are listening to trade offers on RHP Felix Bautista, per @Ken_Rosenthal
— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) July 17, 2025
Bautista, 30, is under team control through the 2027 season. pic.twitter.com/mHiwfz1QT8
With their already incredible starting pitching rotation, Philadelphia can afford to shop some of their prospects. Abel is currently the Phillies' fifth prospect, and ranked No. 86 in MLB's top 100, and Cabrera is the Phillies' 12th prospect.
Both Mullins and Soto are on one-year deals with the Orioles. Bautista is in the final year of a two-year deal, but has two additional years of arbitration. The Orioles would get two young pitching prospects for two rental players. The biggest question is whether the Orioles would be willing to send their closer away with two years of control remaining.
However, for the Phillies, it feels like a dream trade. For the bullpen, Philadelphia would get their lockdown closer in Bautista, who boasts a 2.41 ERA with 18 saves on the season. The former All-Star looks to be back to that level of play after recovering from injury.
Soto is having his best season since his consecutive All-Star seasons in 2021 and 2022. He holds a 3.74 ERA across 33.2 innings pitched with 40 strikeouts. The reliever also has familiarity with the Phillies after playing for them in 2023 and 2024 before being traded to the Orioles at the deadline last year.
Adding two quality bullpen arms in the same trade would be a massive move for Philadelphia. Then you go to centerfield. Despite Brandon Marsh hitting a respectable .259 on the season. The production from the Marsh-Johan Rojas combination has not been good enough. The duo has a combined four home runs and 36 RBI with 92 strikeouts.
Although Cedric Mullins isn't producing as an All-Star caliber centerfielder this season, his hits have been productive. The former All-Star's .218 batting average would scare most people away. However, Mullins leads the Orioles with 13 home runs, 41 RBI, and 13 stolen bases.
There are a lot of moving parts in this trade proposal, but it would solve all the Phillies' issues, and they wouldn't even have to give up a top-four prospect, and the Orioles would receive two young pitching prospects to add to their already young, talented roster.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
