The Philadelphia Phillies are widely expected to strengthen their squad ahead of the trade deadline. At the moment, Philadelphia is barely above .500 and 1.5 games out of a wild card place. This, however, is a better spot than where they were just a month ago. In fact, the Phillies were one of the worst teams in the National League on May 1.
Despite playing better in recent weeks, Philadelphia needs reinforcements. Undoubtedly, the team’s biggest need right now is help on offense. The Phillies are averaging just 3.90 runs per game this season. This is tied for the third-worst figure in Major League Baseball at the moment. More specifically, the club needs help with its outfield.
Because of this, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller believes that the Phillies will ultimately land the top available outfielder in the trade market this summer. Instead of naming one exact player set to join Philadelphia, Miller labeled four potential candidates. The reporter’s list includes Byron Buxton, Mike Trout, Riley Greene, and Jarren Duran.
Philadelphia Phillies Have At Least Four Significant Options via Trade
GettyMike Trout grew up a Phillies fan in nearby Millville, New Jersey.
Mike Trout would obviously be the biggest Philadelphia Phillies target among this particular quartet. Nevertheless, there appears to be skepticism from MLB insiders that the future Hall of Famer will leave the Los Angeles Angels this summer. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale recently poured cold water on the idea of L.A. trading Trout in the coming weeks.
Assuming Trout is off the table, Buxton could become the best available outfielder for Philadelphia. The veteran has established himself as a star, both at the plate and in the field. Buxton previously collected a Platinum Glove, as the league’s best overall defender, and a Silver Slugger award.
The biggest issue with Buxton, however, is that he has dealt with a series of injuries throughout his career. In fact, the two-time All-Star has played more than 102 games in a season just twice since becoming a big leaguer. The Minnesota Twins are also hanging around in the American League wild card race and may not want to throw in the towel too early.
Because of this, dealing with the Detroit Tigers for Greene or the Boston Red Sox for Duran could be easier for the Phillies. Detroit is currently tied for the worst record in baseball and may opt to tear things down. Nevertheless, potentially giving up Greene would be fairly surprising. After all, the All-Star outfielder is not an unrestricted free agent until 2029.
Philadelphia Needs More Production in Right Field
Because of this, Duran would likely be the easiest player of the quartet to acquire. Boston is struggling and has a surplus of outfielders. The Phillies could look to take advantage of the situation and land Duran for less than the other potential targets.
If the Philadelphia Phillies do trade for an outfielder, it would likely be bad news for right fielder Adolis Garcia. The star slugger is currently slashing .191/.274/.296 on the season and will be a free agent in 2027. Philadelphia already has the fourth-highest payroll in baseball, and landing a new star would mean more money spent. Nevertheless, the club has to make a major move to give itself a real shot at a postseason run.
Phillies Expected to Land Top Outfielder in Trade Market