1 trade candidate from every AL West team the Phillies should consider

Some of the most notable trades in recent Philadelphia Phillies history have come with teams in the American League West, the division that is more removed from the Phillies standings relevancy, rivalry, and geographical concerns than any other in baseball. 

Statistically speaking, in fact, the Phillies have dealt with AL West clubs more than any other in baseball over the past decade. And they have very good reason for sending guys like Logan O'Hoppe and Mickey Moniak to a different league on the other side of the country, as opposed to 90 minutes south or north to D.C. or New York.  

The aforementioned O'Hoppe and Moniak deals with the Angels brought Noah Syndergaard and Brandon Marsh to the 2022 World Series team. Thor played his role, and Marsh broke out and is one of the team's brightest young stars. 

Long before that, the Phillies embarked on the dark days of their rebuild in 2015 when they sent Cole Hamels to the Texas Rangers for Nick Williams, Jerad Eickhoff, Jorge Alfaro, and others. That may not seem like much, but Alfaro was still a promising piece a few years later when he helped the Phillies steal J.T. Realmuto from the Marlins. In 2021, they revisited the Rangers front office in nabbing Ian Kennedy and Kyle Gibson for Spencer Howard. 

The Seattle Mariners, of course, got J.P. Crawford from the Phillies, in a deal that now looks like a boon for Seattle but which helped the Phillies win the NL Pennant in 2022. That trade, of course, was what first brought Jean Segura to Philly in 2018. 

The Oakland Athletics haven't had much to offer in recent years, but they did provide the Phillies with a very intriguing piece in Christian Pache, who will, at the very least, be a solid depth outfield option heading into spring training. Pache has an elite glove, above-average speed, and flashed upside with his bat in 2023, so there could be more to say here come this time next year.

And even the hated Astros gave the Phillies a few years of Vince Velasquez in exchange for Ken Giles, who was at the time one of the most dominant late-innings men in baseball. 

If the Phillies hit the trade market this summer as they have in nearly every year recently, besides last year, expect them to strongly consider what AL West clubs have to offer. Here's a glance at one trade candidate the Phillies could target from each club in the division.

Brandon Drury, Los Angeles Angels

If Drury maintains anything close to his offensive production of recent years, and assuming the Angels do not suddenly reverse their fortunes in the post-Ohtani era, he will probably be one of the most obvious candidates on the trade block this summer. Drury's two-year deal with the Angels is up at the end of the season, so he's almost guaranteed to be dealt if the Angels are out of the picture. 

The positives to Drury are his bat — he's put up a 111, 123, and 114 OPS+ over the past three seasons — and his positional versatility, as he's seen time all over the diamond. The downside is that he's not a defensive improvement anywhere in the Phillies' current lineup, and though his bat could be on the level of Alec Bohm or even better, he has a similar right-handed profile.

So, the question of how impactful he would be on the Phillies is certainly a valid one. Obviously, he's a good replacement in case of an injury to Bohm or Bryson Stott, or even Bryce Harper at first. If the Phillies are seeking a utility infielder, you'd imagine they'd go for one with a plus glove or a left-handed bat to complement Bohm, but when someone puts up numbers like Drury, you can't look away. For just two or three months of service, the Angels asking price will probably be very cheap.

He also seems to like the Bank, as seen in this Alek Thomas-imitation video:

It should also be noted that the Angels have to be happy with how that 2022 deal turned out. The mini-breakouts of Moniak and O'Hoppe likely bode well for the relationship of the two front offices, and the Angels might be looking for the next Reading or Lehigh Valley guy who won't get a fair chance on a stacked Phillies squad.

Ken Waldichuk, Oakland Athletics

The tragedy of the Athletics franchise continues to be played out in just about every public forum possible, as ownership has committed to abandon a dedicated fanbase and Major League Baseball has approved a move to Las Vegas.

With the organization in such radical flux, it's fair to expect the unexpected from their front office. They gave up a promising youngster in Pache last year for next to nothing. They could be willing to even trade other youngsters and prospects in the coming months or the next two to three years as their future home, ownership, finances, and general direction are solidified.

As things stand, the front office doesn't have much to go on as far as planning for a competitive window and could be ready to deal any MLB-ready piece. 

Enter Ken Waldichuk, a 26-year-old acquired from the Yankees a few years ago and entering his third big league season in 2024. After putting up big numbers in the minors he's yet to break out in Oakland, and it could just be that the front office is willing to give him the Christian Pache treatment. 

Waldichuk has the stuff to be at least a mid-rotation starter, if not more, at the big league level, but he's spent time in the pen as he figures himself out in Oakland. His numbers are nothing eye-popping at the MLB level, but he was the A's top pitching prospect for a time, and he has a sub-3.00 ERA in nearly 200 innings across all minor league levels. 

Given the Phillies' struggles to find a veteran back-of-the-rotation guy — as Dombrowski has noted, the quality options don't see a lot of innings in a stacked front five in Philly — so the better play might be to go for an unproven youngster. Waldichuk has a higher ceiling than players like Dylan Covey or Nick Nelson, but he can also pitch out of the pen.

The Phillies have money and talented, very young players years away from the majors, both of which should appeal to the A's. And unlike the other players on this list, this deal could be swung at any time — it's not dependent on the Trade Deadline or the playoff race, neither of which really have anything to do with Oakland these days.

Josh Smith, Texas Rangers

The defending World Series winners have spent excessively to build their championship roster, and for a team so hungry to win, they don't have a track record of creative but risky trades of their established talent. 

This makes them very different from Seattle and Oakland, and even from the other huge markets in Houston and LA. It's hard to envision a future where Texas, if they happened to find themselves trailing in the playoff race, deals reliever rentals like David Robertson and Kirby Yates, for example, instead of sprinting to the finish line.

That said, there could be an opportunity for the Phillies to trade from their own surplus to grab a piece that isn't seeing a lot of playing time in Texas. 

Left-handed infielder Josh Smith has been highly regarded for years and was a part of the Yankees' deal that sent Joey Gallo from Texas to the Bronx in 2021. That deal was a big win for Texas, though Smith hasn't quite established himself at the MLB level. 

He slugged to an .861 OPS at Triple-A in 2022 before his promotion, but has only gotten 400 at-bats in the past two MLB seasons. He's had a few hot streaks that have flashed his high ceiling, and he contributed big in the postseason, but his OPS+ in The Show is just 67.

He can play all over, including third base, and with a strong glove he could be a great partial platoon partner for Bohm. He also has outfield experience, and could find his way to more playing time if he proves his bat.

The Rangers lack starting pitching depth. If the Phillies sign Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery in the coming weeks, or if they deal for another ace at the Trade Deadline this summer, they'll have the flexibility to consider giving up Taijuan Walker or Cristopher Sánchez.

Given that Mick Abel will probably be ready for a call-up this year and Andrew Painter is in the wings for 2025, and considering how the team is prioritizing a Zack Wheeler extension, this is certainly a place of strength for the Phils to deal from.

Framber Valdez, Houston Astros

Phillies fans know Framber Valdez, who won both of his starts in the 2022 World Series, all too well. He has established himself as an ace, but perhaps due to legendary figures like Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander leading the Houston staff for years, he has been curiously underrated. 

The Astros, of course, might be hesitant to deal their ace. But rumors have swirled for a year or so now that they might explore the option if they can't sign him to an extension.

Houston is in a virulent division that includes the defending champion Rangers and the improving Seattle Mariners, and nothing is guaranteed this year. It wouldn't be entirely out of character for them to trade Valdez, as they have let several successive stars and ace pitchers walk: Carlos Correa, George Springer, Cole, and Verlander all signed lucrative contracts elsewhere.

With Valdez, 30, they might look to get a little something back for him. Houston has recently tied up quite a bit of money in extending Jose Altuve and signing Josh Hader, so financial flexibility could be limited. 

Of course, all that taken into account, the Astros are a big favorite to make the postseason again next year, and it would be a pretty significant stunner if they were out of the race by July. But surprises like that happen every year (a year ago, would you have believed the Mets, Padres, and Yankees would have been sellers at the 2023 Trade Deadline?).

Valdez's asking price would likely be steep, but for a Houston team that would surely quickly pivot to being competitive again in 2025, they could be willing to accept MLB players that no longer have a fit on the Phillies roster, anyway.

For the Phillies and pretty much every other team in baseball, the appeal of a high-end, experienced arm like Valdez heading into the postseason is obvious. You can't get enough great pitching.