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The Philadelphia Phillies have made back-to-back deep postseason runs in 2022 and 2023. They’ve generally been quiet ahead of 2024, but could that change by acquiring a top-tier closer like Emmanuel Clase from the Cleveland Guardians?
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has made one major move for Philly this winter. It was to re-sign starting pitcher Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million deal. Other than that, the Phillies haven’t done much despite a slow-moving free-agent market.
Bleacher Report’s Brandon Scott wants to change that. On February 1, he shared fresh trade proposals for the top remaining targets. One of his ideas is to send Clase to Philly in exchange for three players. Here’s what the proposed swap looks like:
- Phillies receive: right-handed pitcher Emmanuel Clase
- Guardians receive: outfielder Justin Crawford, third baseman Aidan Miller and outfielder Johan Rojas
Crawford and Miller were the Phillies’ third- and fourth-best prospects after 2023, per MLB.com. Those two would bring a lot of potential to Cleveland, but neither has played above High-A in the minor leagues yet. That’s where adding Rojas in could potentially sweeten a deal.
He posted a .771 OPS and 111 OPS+ in 149 plate appearances as a rookie for the Phillies in 2023. FanGraphs’ Roster Resource also has him penciled in as the club’s starting center fielder in 2024. Getting an MLB-ready player could help Cleveland continue competing in the American League Central.
Why Would the Phillies Trade Rojas Away?
This is obviously a hypothetical trade scenario. There haven’t been any reports proving Philadelphia is willing to trade the 23-year-old outfielder. However, they may be OK with doing it to make room for a certain player who is still a free agent.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale floated the idea in a February 4 report. “Several executives think the Philadelphia Phillies could be a sleeper for one of the remaining marquee free agents in starter Jordan Montgomery or center fielder Cody Bellinger,” he said.
Rojas doesn’t need to get traded to make room for Bellinger at Citizens Bank Park. It would make his inclusion in a potential win-now deal make a little more sense, though.
Guardians Aren’t Motivated to Move Clase Right Now
Hearing that MLB teams are interested in acquiring Clase via trade isn’t surprising. Although his ERA from 2022 to 2023 went up nearly two full runs (1.36 to 3.22), he’s registered two straight years of 40-plus saves. No relief pitcher has registered more saves than Clase’s 86 since the start of 2022, per Baseball Reference.
His performance alone garners trade interest, but it goes up even more when looking at his contract situation. Clase is in the midst of a five-year, $20 million contract he signed ahead of the 2022 season. According to Spotrac, he’s due only $13 million between 2024 and 2026. There are also a pair of $10 million club options for 2027 and 2028.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on December 1 that the Guardians were open to the idea of trading Clase for the right offer. But with spring training on the verge of starting, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi is saying it probably won’t happen right now. “Sources: Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase is drawing trade interest from multiple teams, but a deal appears unlikely in the near term,” Morosi said on February 5 via X (formerly Twitter). “With club options, Cleveland has control of Clase through 2028. There is no motivation for the Guardians to move him now.”
Sources: Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase is drawing trade interest from multiple teams, but a deal appears unlikely in the near term.
With club options, Cleveland has control of Clase through 2028. There is no motivation for the Guardians to move him now.
Cleveland’s ability to sign Clase to a team-friendly extension is allowing them to take their time here. If they’re not in serious postseason contention leading up to the midseason trade deadline, though, it’ll be interesting to see if meaningful trade rumors will once again swirl around the hurler.
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