The latest Phillies trade rumors circle around a big bat with ties
As the trade deadline approaches the latest Phillies trade rumors have picked up quickly, especially with some big deals coming down Monday evening. The latest name connected to the Phillies is one the fan base knows well, Jose Bautista.
Jon Heyman of Fancred says the Phillies are one of many teams who have “checked in” on Bautista, who is now with the Mets.
In 2013, Philadelphia “reporter” Howard Eskin said the organization was close to a deal where they would send Dominic Brown to Toronto for Baustista, who was coming off a 28 home run season. That deal never came to fruition, and it’s one of the many Eskin stories that totaled his career of late.
Fast-forward five years and Bautista is in a much different place in his career since being a perennial All-Star. After going unsigned in free agency to start the season he joined the Braves minor league system and played 12 games for Atlanta. After leaving the Braves in May Bautista joined the downtrodden Mets, and has played 58 games for them.
Philadelphia has already made one deal with the Mets with Asdrubal Cabrera, and they’ve been connected to starter Zach Wheeler as well.
This year Bautista is hitting a measly .216 with eight home runs, a clear drop off from his MVP-caliber years to now being 37-years-old. The Phillies clearly want another bat on the bench, and particularly a big one if they can get it.
Joey Gallo, Adam Jones, and Adrian Beltre have been mentioned, and Jones reportedly rejected a trade from Baltimore this week. Either of those three would be major additions for a bench that’s been hit with injuries and inconsistent players such as Aaron Altherr.