Pat Neshek is the Phillies biggest trade asset this season and Sunday’s trade between the Nationals sets the value for a potential Neshek trade.
July is one of the craziest months of the baseball season thanks to the trade deadline to cap off the month. The Phillies are expected to be players this year, with some rumors even linking them to Miami’s talented outfield. However, a more likely scenario would be the team trading away reliever Pat Neshek, who was the team’s lone All-Star this season.
Neshek has been stellar this season for the team and his trade value is about as high it could be at this point.
Pat Neshek, while holding a "FOR SALE" sign, strikes out Villar, Thames and Braun on 14 pitches.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) July 16, 2017
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When looking for a way to gauge exactly what Neshek could fetch in a hypothetical trade, a solid place to start looking is Sunday’s trade between the Nationals and Athletics.
Former Phillie Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle are on their way to Washington while Blake Trenien and minor-leaguers Jesus Luzardo and Sheldon Neuse. Trenien is in the trade mainly to clear off a roster space and cap room on Washington’s roster.
The best way to think of this trade is a two-for-two swap between Oakland’s relievers and Washington’s prospects.
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Luzardo was Washington’s third-round pick last year but just debuted a couple weeks ago. So far he has a 1.32 ERA in 13.2 innings this year in the Gulf Coast League. He was Washington’s No. 10 prospect according to MLB.com. Meanwhile, Neuse was their second-round pick last year and after an unspectacular professional debut in short-season ball, he has been solid in Low-A this season. He was their No. 6 prospect.
This trade defines what the Phils could hypothetically get for Neshek. They may not get a top-ten prospect because Neshek is a free agent next year while Madson and Doolittle aren’t.
However, it gives a fairly solid estimate for a potential Neshek market.
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The team could potentially package Neshek with someone else like Howie Kendrick to get a better-caliber prospect.