Phillies: Three players who could be traded midseason

Nick Pivetta

Somewhat surprisingly, Nick Pivetta has been one of the most highly sought after Phillies over the last two years. At last season’s trade deadline teams came calling for the pitcher left and right, and even during this current off-season teams have called about Pivetta and his services.

Pivetta has had a rocky career in the MLB so far, and that’s a bit of an understatement. He has a career 5.34 ERA and really struggled to keep his spot in a very weak Phillies’ rotation last year. He lacks control and composure on the mound, while also struggling to effectively utilize a third pitch.

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However, Pivetta is something out of a dream when it comes to analytics. He has one of the best spin rates in the MLB and a lot of computer-based projections have him primed to break out soon.

A few reporters even labeled him as a potential Cy Young candidate heading into last season.

Specifically for teams that heavily buy into the analytical side of baseball, Pivetta is just the type of guy they’d look to buy low on.

The Phillies currently have Pivetta entrenched in a battle for the #5 spot in their rotation, battling it out against Vince Velasquez and Ranger Suarez. If Pivetta loses this battle, he may be deemed expendable and traded away prior to the season starting.

However, if he wins the battle (which he probably should) the Phillies could look to maximize his value by letting him pitch for a few months, before ultimately shopping him at the deadline. Given Pivetta has a few good starts at the start of the season, the team could look to get back a legit bullpen piece or an above-average prospect in return.