Trade speculation has been ramping up in recent days, with the MLB Winter Meetings right around the corner. Teams will begin gathering in Dallas this weekend for the annual get together that officially gets underway on Monday.
The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to make some things happen this offseason, even if it sounds like president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski isn't entirely convinced that the roster still needs a big shakeup. That being said, there have been some Phillies players who have crept up in trade rumors over and over again and are reported as being included in trade talks.
We know that third baseman Alec Bohm is a popular trade candidate. Right fielder Nick Castellanos and left-hander Ranger Suárez are the other two Phillies who are being shopped from the big league roster, as far as we know.
Phillies' No. 1 prospect Aidan Miller is no longer untouchable in trade talks
But what about prospects? While the team's No. 2 prospect, right-hander Andrew Painter, remains off the trade table, No. 3 prospect outfielder Justin Crawford has been included in trade discussions.
Now, another Phillies top prospect is reportedly being included in trade talks, or at least isn't as untouchable as once thought. Phillies No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline, shortstop Aidan Miller, is available to be had (subscription required), per The Athletic's Matt Gelb.
"Neither (Crawford or Miller) is untouchable in trade talks this offseason, but it would require a significant return to deal them away," Gelb said in his Phillies Winter Meetings primer on Thursday.
It's a shocking turn, as Miller was previously thought to be right alongside Painter as untouchable. But the Phillies front office is walking a tightrope between wanting to capitalize on the contending veteran core it has built, while simultaneously keeping one eye on the future competitive health of the club.
The thought of trading Miller, the team's first-round pick in 2023, will undoubtedly make Phillies fans uncomfortable. Prospects are like that. They hold a promise of something special in the future. But they're also not a sure thing. Countless top prospects haven't been able to live up to the lofty expectations over the years. You just never know.
From everything the Phillies have told us about Miller, they seem to have a pretty good idea that his makeup will help him be one of the No. 1s who succeeds, if not excels, at the major league level. Still only 20, Miller shot through Single- and High-A this past season before getting a small five-game taste of Double-A at the end of the year.
Despite the Phillies accelerating his timeline in 2024, Dombrowski has said that Miller isn't part of the plans for 2025. With an ETA of 2026, we'll have to wait at least one more season before seeing the top prospect at Citizens Bank Park. Hopefully that's still a possibility after this offseason.