2 Phillies trade rumors we hope come true, 1 we hope doesn't happen
If history is any indication, the Phillies could swoop in and steal headlines at the trade deadline.
While the trade market is awash with big time rumors and moves, the Philadelphia Phillies have been laying in the weeds so far on the trade market. There is no question that the Phillies should be buyers at the deadline as they are firmly in the NL wild card race even if the division race feels like an impossible hill to climb.
One thing is an absolute: if his team is in contention, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will make big moves at the trade deadline to improve the roster. In many respects, Dombrowski is a blunt instrument and he has no qualms about targeting big names on the trade market to accomplish his objectives. Do all of these moves work out? Absolutely not, but one has to respect his convictions.
Here are 2 Phillies trade rumors we hope come true and 1 we hope doesn't
True to form, the Phillies have been connected to a wide range of names at the trade deadline on both sides of the ball this year. A lot of that has just been speculation that is more writers looking at potential fits than actual documented interest, but it is hard to ignore some of the smoke surrounding certain names that appear to be on Philly's radar.
For this exercise, the focus is going to be on names that have actually been connected to the Phillies and highlighting the good/bad of those. Sure, it would be nice if Philly traded for Adley Rutschman out of nowhere, but that isn't ever going to happen and is not worth exploring here.
Let's take a look at two Phillies trade rumors we hope end up coming true and one that we hope doesn't happen.
Paul Goldschmidt would be a dream addition for the Phillies
This is borderline as the Cardinals public position on trading Goldschmidt is that they are not interested in doing so. In a way, their position makes sense as they remained convinced that between the trade deadline and this coming offseason, they will be able to fix their roster enough to contend again in 2024 which will be the last year that Goldy will be under contract.
However, there have been enough whispers about the Cardinals at least entertaining the idea of trading Goldschmidt including multiple mentions of the Phillies over the last couple of weeks to discuss it. There is actually some wisdom to St. Louis entertaining the idea. Being able to package Goldschmidt with an extra year of team control attached would bring back a VERY substantial package that could fill multiple roster positions with high end talent for next year and beyond.
For the Phillies, the interest here is a no brainer. Getting real production out of first base has been problematic for Philly ever since Rhys Hoskins went on the injured list. Going from the rotating cast of characters they have gone with to one of the best first basemen in all of baseball would be a gigantic upgrade. However, there is the issue of Hoskins doing well on his rehab assignment and Bryce Harper's return to the field, but the Phillies could figure out the roster crunch to accommodate a guy like Goldy.
This move in some ways also passes the smell test in that it feels like a move that Dombrowski would make. He loves big names/stars and if you look at every single stop he has made in his career, there is at least one move he made in this mold. It may not come to fruition as the price would be high and that is if the Cards would even play ball, but this would be a big time move to be sure.
Eduardo Rodriguez isn't the starter the Phillies need
Ever since Eduardo Rodriguez got off to a hot start in the first half for the Tigers, he has been a highly discussed trade target by virtually everyone. He has a track record of being a pretty good pitcher and had an argument to be considered a top 5 pitcher in the American League in the first half.
The Phillies have been among the list of teams that have been watching Rodriguez closely leading up to the deadline. While there are certainly worse options the Phillies could consider at the deadline (*cough* Patrick Corbin *cough*), Philadelphia should still steer clear of E-Rod this season.
First is the fact that he got injured towards the end of the first half of the 2023 season and since his return, he has not pitched well. The Phillies' rotation has played quite well and while depth there would be great, the Phillies shouldn't be targeting a guy like Rodriguez who was already overperforming his career numbers and is now struggling mightily. Whether it is the finger injury causing him issues or the Regression Monster coming to claim him, there are just too many questions/risks here.
Another problem is his contract and how it will impact the cost to acquire him. E-Rod has an opt out in his contract that he could exercise at the end of this season. The problem with that is that he is likely to do the exactly opposite of whatever the Phillies want him to do regardless of how he plays. If he plays well, he will almost certainly opt out and then he is a pure rental that likely cost more in trade than a true rental. If he is bad, he won't opt out and the Phillies paid a premium for a guy on the decline and they now have to pay him another $49 million.
Jordan Montgomery would be a fantastic trade target for Philly
While Rodriguez may not be the best option for the Phillies at the deadline, the idea of leaning into the Phillies' pitching strength has a ton of validity. Philadelphia has the best pitching staff in all of baseball in 2023 by fWAR at 15.7 and it isn't particularly close. If the right bat cannot be acquired, Philadelphia could do a lot worse than snagging the Cardinals' Jordan Montgomery and we have at least one recent report that has the Phillies as a fit.
First and foremost, Montgomery has been pitching well in 2023. While Montgomery has always been a strikethrower without overpowering stuff, he is working on the best season of his career in 2023 and has been one of the league's most consistent starters the last three seasons. The guy just puts up good starts each night and keeps his team in games which is incredibly valuable even if he isn't racking up a ton of strikeouts.
Another benefit here is that Montgomery is a pending free agent, so the cost to acquire him shouldn't be too prohibitive. He also is only making $10 million in 2023 so he won't screw up the Phillies' accounting too much, either. For a team like the Phillies that ideally would like to make multiple impact moves at the deadline, Montgomery wouldn't require too many resources to acquire which frees up prospects to make other moves.
One last note here: Goldschmidt was mentioned above as a dream target and he, too, plays for the Cardinals. It would be a peak Dave Dombrowski move to try and get both Montgomery and Goldy in the same deal. Pulling that off could really put a strain on the Phillies' farm system, but they probably have enough to get such a trade done assuming St. Louis is being anywhere close to reasonable.
More Phillies News from That Ball's Outta Here
manual