Phillies Trade Rumors: Could 2 Cubs stars be on Dave Dombrowski’s radar?
How many Cubs players could the Phillies land at the trade deadline?
The Philadelphia Phillies have been linked to superstar closer Craig Kimbrel for weeks now.
He’s one of many bullpen arms the Phillies have looked into as they attempt to revamp a bullpen that has led MLB in blown saves for a significant portion of the season, though the Dodgers just tied them at the top.
However, new intel suggests that the Phils are interested in making more than one purchase at the Chicago Cubs fire sale this week.
It could be Kimbrel plus-one, or it might not be Kimbrel at all, considering his high trade value and the heavy competition to acquire him.
Dave Dombrowski, who traded for Kimbrel once before and brought him and a championship to the Boston Red Sox, said over the weekend that the Phillies have been talking to “everybody,” but they seem to have honed in on the Cubs.
The Phillies had scouts at the Cubs/Diamondbacks series over the weekend, scoping out Kimbrel, but he’s not the only arm they’re interested in. Jon Heyman reports that the Phils “like” Andrew Chafin and Ryan Tepera as well.
Andrew Chafin and Ryan Tepera might be more realistic for the Phillies than Craig Kimbrel
The lefty Chafin is having one of the best seasons of his eight-year career, to the tune of a 2.06 ERA (currently his single-season best) over 43 appearances. Over 39 1/3 innings, he’s struck out 37 batters. Until his outing on July 24, Chafin hadn’t allowed an earned run since May 7. In 26 games during that span (May 8-July 21), opposing batters were hitting .114/.167/.152 against him with a .319 OPS.
However, Chafin only has three career saves and has been used primarily as a set-up man for Kimbrel this year. While the Phillies have a lot of pitching needs, they really need a closer to lock down those saves, so while Chafin might be more gettable than Kimbrel, he might not be the best fit.
Of course, the other way to look at Chafin’s low save count is that because the Cubs have Kimbrel, they don’t need to use Chafin as a closer. His previous seasons would indicate that that’s not case, though. He’s been an excellent setup man, and the Phillies trading for him and making him the closer might mess with near-perfection.
Tepera is also having an impressive season in his seventh year in the majors. He has a 2.91 ERA over 43 games, and has struck out 50 batters in 43 1/3 innings of work. His stock has risen considerably in July; he hasn’t allowed an earned run since June 28 and has struck out nine of the 20 batters he’s faced in six games this month. He seems to be a better fit for Philadelphia than Chafin; Tepera has 11 career saves, including seven back in 2018 for the Toronto Blue Jays. His versatility as a setup man with closing abilities (without Kimbrel’s expensive price tag) makes him an obvious target for the Phillies.
Is Craig Kimbrel realistic for the Phillies?
While the Phillies don’t have a bumper crop in the farm system, they are reportedly prepared to go over the luxury tax threshold for the first time in franchise history. Dombrowski confirmed on Saturday that he has ownership support in this endeavor.
As expected the Phillies have serious competition for Kimbrel, who has an absurd 0.50 ERA and 23 saves this season. The Mets and Dodgers are two of many teams interested in the closer, and MLB insider Mike Petriello predicts Los Angeles as his likeliest landing spot. He thinks the Mets will land Chafin, and the Phillies will grab Tepera. His reasoning:
"“Because Philadelphia will revolt if nothing is done to improve one of baseball’s weakest bullpens.”"
Obviously, the ultimate scenario would be landing Kimbrel and either Chafin or Tepera, but given the cost and competition, it’s unlikely. It wouldn’t be the first time Dombrowski pulled off an absolute coup, though. Phillies fans can dream.