5 third basemen the Phillies should target at the trade deadline
Who should the Philadelphia Phillies consider to upgrade their third base position via trade?
For much of the 2023 season, the Philadelphia Phillies have been using the likes of Edmundo Sosa, Alec Bohm, and Josh Harrison at the third base position. Bohm has done a decent job for the past few years, but the amount of production expected normally from such a power position leaves quite a bit to be desired. On the other hand, both Sosa and Harrison have provided minimal value so far from the spot, leaving third base as a potential position to upgrade for the Phillies at the trade deadline.
With the St. Louis Cardinals struggling mightily this season, many have pondered about whether or not 10-time Gold Glover and five-time Silver Slugger Nolan Arenado would be available at the trade deadline, since he would no doubt be the most coveted hot corner player if so. After all, he would probably bring back the biggest haul for the Cardinals in any trade scenario and in doing so, they would pretty much be set for the near future in getting back into contention status and the Phillies definitely would have the right trade package for them with their stacked top minor league prospects.
However, Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak recently shot down those speculations, indicating that their key superstars, including both Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
With that unfortunate news in mind, the Phillies will most likely need to resort to other secondary options to fill the need for the hot corner. Here, we take a look at five potential trade targets that the Phillies can pursue to bolster their third base position in the infield.
Eduardo Escobar, Los Angeles Angels
An intriguing candidate for the Phillies to consider is Eduardo Escobar of the Los Angeles Angels. As one would recall, Escobar was just traded last month by the New York Mets to the Angels in exchange for two pitching prospects. With the Angels faltering a bit away from playoff contention in recent weeks, along with the injury to Mike Trout, it could be enough for the Angels to become sellers as the trade deadline approaches. If that is the case, Escobar could potentially be flipped to another contending team to recoup back some of the assets that they lost to the Mets and the Phillies definitely have the prospect capital to satisfy that request for sure
For Escobar, he has been having a somewhat down year so far in 2023, as he was used in a platoon role with Mets rookie Brett Baty while with New York. For the season, between the Mets and Angels, he has hit .241 with an OPS of .652, with 24 runs scored, four home runs and 21 RBI in 56 games played. But don’t forget that he is only two years removed from his All-Star season back in 2021 when he clubbed 28 home runs and 90 RBI playing for both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers. So he has definitely been moving around quite a bit, but usually to contending teams each time, meaning that he must be a valuable asset in the eyes of a contender. For someone that can usually average over 20 home runs and 70 RBI a year, he may be worth a shot for the Phillies.
Jeimer Candelario, Washington Nationals
For Jeimer Candelario, his name may not jump out of the page right away for the casual baseball fan, but he has quietly put together a solid MLB career in recent years after becoming a part of the Detroit Tigers’ organization. His best season came in the 2020 COVID-shortened year in which he hit close to .300, with an .872 OPS along with 30 runs scored, 11 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 29 RBI in just 52 games. He followed it up the next season by leading the AL in doubles with 42 in 2021.
In part, Candelario is good for 15-20 home runs and 50-60 RBI each year, but he appears to have found his power productive stroke for 2023, as he is on pace for over 25 home runs, over 80 RBI, and over 80 runs scored, while maintaining a batting average above .260 and an OPS above .820. With that kind of production, the Phillies should definitely check in on Candelario, and the cost to acquire him will most likely be minimal compared to some of the other potential candidates, leaving the Phillies potentially with a better hand to deal with for other trade possibilities.
Eugenio Suárez, Seattle Mariners
Now we are starting to talk about some big time power. If that is what the Phillies are looking for in upgrading their third base position, look to none other than Eugenio Suárez of the Seattle Mariners. Suárez has hit at least the 30 home run plateau four times in his career, including an astounding 49 home runs in 2019 with the Cincinnati Reds. Originally a player that could hit for both power and average, his contact ability has declined a bit in recent years, leading to his lower batting average, but his power is definitely still present.
For 2023, he is currently batting .230, with a .727 OPS, with 41 runs scored, 16 doubles, 14 home runs and 58 RBI in a somewhat down year with respect to his standards. But one can definitely count on him to be hitting close to 25 home runs and 80 RBI each year, so perhaps a change in scenery for the 31-year-old to a contending team is enough to revitalize the power-hitting slugger and help the Phillies power their way to a playoff spot.
Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies
Another interesting trade target for the Phillies is Colorado Rockies’ third baseman Ryan McMahon. Formerly a second-round draft pick by the Rockies back in 2013, McMahon has recently carved out a decent MLB career so far with the ballclub after the departure of Arenado from Colorado. Obviously, he is nowhere near the production that Arenado brings to a team year in and year out, but McMahon has been good for close to 20 home runs and 80 RBI each year, while maintaining a career batting average of .246 and career OPS of .758.
More importantly, he has some finesse speed and can steal the odd base, along with legging out some triples along the way. Again, if the Phillies don’t want to overspend on upgrading their third base position, they should consider McMahon as a possible candidate, as he would definitely be an upgrade over Sosa or Harrison that they currently have.
Justin Turner, Boston Red Sox
Finally, one of the supposingly unexpected, yet potentially awesome candidate includes two-time All-Star and former World Series champion Justin Turner. Turner has a breadth of postseason experience, having appeared in over 86 playoff games, amassing a career postseason average of .270, an OPS of .830, with 43 runs scored, 19 doubles, 13 home runs, 42 RBI and five stolen bases. Let’s just say, he can get the job done when it matters most. Not only that, at age 38, he appears to be still going strong, as he has put together a solid season with the Boston Red Sox.
For 2023, Turner is hitting .289, with an .836 OPS, with 60 runs scored, 22 doubles, 15 home runs and 61 RBI in 93 games played. He would be the ultimate ideal trade target for the Phillies to grab for a deep playoff run. However, the Red Sox has recently strung together a torrid run in which they have won 11 of their past 15 games to put themselves right back in the playoff hunt, so the availability of Turner will depend upon if they fall back to earth the coming weeks or if they maintain that hot streak. For Phillies’ sake, they should certainly hope for the former so that they can take a stab at adding the guaranteed difference maker to the ballclub.
The good news is for each of these five trade candidates, the Phillies probably won’t be jeopardizing their farm system in their attempts to acquire them, leaving many assets still available to upgrade in other areas. Hopefully, in doing so, it will be enough to get the Phillies back again into playoff contention, and ultimately the postseason.