The Major League Baseball Winter Meetings is typically an eventful time in the MLB offseason that many teams look forward to each year. Not only do they take advantage of the meetup to thoroughly discuss various league operations and business, but it is often a prime opportunity for clubs to conduct valuable offseason trades and transactions in the process.
The Philadelphia Phillies have been looking to make a major shakeup this winter with hopes of significantly improving the team’s chances of winning in 2025. Trade winds have already been swirling for the Phillies over much of the past month.
With the Winter Meetings now just around the corner, they should take full advantage of the occasion to make their first major transaction of the offseason to get things rolling. Let's take a look at five Phillies players who will most likely be traded at the 2024 Winter Meetings.
5 Phillies players most likely to be traded at this year’s Winter Meetings
Justin Crawford
Selected by the Phillies in the first round and 17th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, Justin Crawford has been a dynamic addition to the organization. With the ability to potentially become an elite five-tool player by the time he reaches the major leagues, Crawford has been rapidly on the rise in his past two minor league seasons in the Phillies system.
Following a subtle debut in 2022 in which he batted .241 with five RBI and 10 stolen bases in 16 games played, Crawford broke through in a big way with a strong season in 2023 split between the Phillies Single-A affiliate Clearwater and High-A affiliate Jersey Shore. Over 87 games, he posted a stellar .332 average, .859 OPS, along with a whopping 71 runs scored, 22 doubles, eight triples, three home runs, 64 RBI and 47 stolen bases.
Crawford quickly followed it up with another elite performance in 2024, in which his power potential gradually developed. This past season, he compiled a .313 batting average and .805 OPS, with 79 runs scored, 25 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 61 RBI and 42 stolen bases in 110 games, reaching the Double-A level by the end of the year. Crawford won the Paul Owens Award, which is given to the top-performing minor league player in the Phillies' organization each season.
With his massive growth not only has Crawford caught the eye of the Phillies’ brass, but also the attention of many teams in the league as well. As a result, insiders Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required) and Bob Nightengale of USA Today have recently indicated that the Phillies have included their top outfield prospect in trade talks this offseason, as he is likely deemed a highly valuable asset for many clubs.
With the significant progress in Crawford’s game over the past two years, it will come as no surprise anymore if the Phillies choose to move one of their top trade chips at the Winter Meetings to create their first big splash of the offseason.