Will the Philadelphia Phillies pull off a shocking trade at the upcoming deadline?
If any team is going to land a superstar closer at the upcoming trade deadline, the smart money should be on the Philadelphia Phillies.
First and foremost, there's a need there. The Phillies' bullpen has been rough all season, and in particular, the closer role has been a black hole. Then, one also has to factor in the team's shrinking championship window.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is known for going all-in when he's trying to trade for someone. With the obvious need in Philadelphia, the only missing ingredient is who that someone could be.
On Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic provided one possible answer.
Rosenthal reported that the Athletics might be more open to dealing superstar closer Mason Miller this season than they were last, and offered the Phillies as the most realistic possibility if a blockbuster is in the cards.
"The way the A’s see it, only a few teams are bold enough to propose an offer for Miller worthy of consideration. General manager David Forst might engage those teams as the deadline nears. But for now, he appears willing to let them grow more desperate," wrote Rosenthal.
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"Which teams might tempt the A’s? The Philadelphia Phillies, who reached agreement Sunday with free-agent reliever David Robertson, probably would be No. 1 on the list... Still, the A’s asking price for Miller would figure to be exorbitant."
The 26-year-old Miller may have a less-than-stellar 4.05 ERA on the season, but all one has to do is look at the 40.1 percent strikeout rate and watch him pump 103-mile-per-hour cheddar to know he's a pitcher you don't want to face in the ninth inning.
It's the kind of all-in move that Dombrowski dreams about making. But he has to feel the price is worth paying, so the Athletics' agency in the potential negotiations still matters quite a bit.
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Category: Baseball
