Another day, another Phillies rumor connecting them to Corey Kluber
The latest Phillies rumor comes courtesy of MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, who tweeted Wednesday afternoon that the Phillies are among several teams with varying degrees of interest in Indians ace Corey Kluber.
Morosi named the Phillies, Reds, Dodgers, Brewers, and Padres in his report, and the Phillies certainly have the pieces to make a deal with Cleveland.
The Indians were originally considering moving either Kluber or Trevor Bauer to clear salary this offseason, but trading Edwin Encarnacion to Seattle alleviated some of their financial concerns.
Philadelphia Phillies
Cleveland desperately needs young, cheap, Major League-ready outfielders, something the Phillies have. While Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams, and Roman Quinn aren’t superstar names they fit the majority of the profile for Cleveland.
Herrera makes the most out of all those players, but when focused he’s quietly one of the game’s better hitters. Herrera will make less than $5.4 million this year and has two more years of guaranteed money totaling less than $18 million. After that, his contract includes two years of lucrative team options.
Williams and Quinn are making the league minimum and are under team control for a long time, making them intriguing options. Once considered top prospects, Quinn and Williams will make the league minimum for two more years before three years of arbitration, locking them in through 2023.
If the Phillies do trade one of their major league outfielders it could spell confidence in their ability to sign a free agent, specifically Bryce Harper or A.J. Pollock.
Philadelphia also has a strong farm system that can be pieced out for a trade. Top pitching prospects Sixto Sanchez and Adonis Medina have reportedly been on the table this offseason, and the Phillies have an excess of outfielders, namely Adam Haseley and former number one pick Mickey Moniak.