A perfect Phillies-A's trade to solve Phillies' outfield production woes

The Philadelphia Phillies have been a team whose name has emerged as a potential landing spot for a few outfielders currently playing for clubs who will sell prior to MLB's July 30 trade deadline. One of the more affordable and intriguing names is Oakland A's slugger Brent Rooker.

The addition of a player like Rooker could drastically increase the offensive production of this Phillies' lineup — particularly left field, which has been one of the more glaring weaknesses. His power numbers and .891 OPS speak to his offensive capabilities. The right-handed bat's numbers against left-handed pitchers make him an even more enticing option.

Here is a potential trade using Baseball Trade Values that could bring Rooker to Philadelphia.

A perfect Phillies-A's trade to solve Phillies' outfield production woes

Baseball Trade Values uses the concept of surplus value, which is essentially a players on-the-field value and the deduction of a player's salary. A full description of how the trade value is calculated can be found here.

Due to Rooker's value on the field and the fact that he would be under team control through the 2027 season increases the return required for a club to land him from Oakland. One particular trade model projects that the Phillies could acquire the A's power hitter for just one of their top five prospects straight up.

The club could trade highly touted shortstop No. 5 prospect Starlyn Caba for Rooker without the guarantee of adding another player to the package. Caba was seen as one of the top international prospects signed in 2023. At just 18 years old, his defensive abilities are viewed as well above average, and the switch hitter performed well in the Dominican Summer League.

Should the Phillies be willing to part with a prospect of Caba's caliber? The short answer is yes. The Phillies are set up to win now. They have an 8.0-game lead in the National League East, are ranked as the No. 1 team in MLB.com's Power Rankings and currently have the best winning percentage in all of baseball. Adding an impact bat now gives them the best chance to win their first World Series since 2008.

Caba is also blocked at the moment. The Phillies have Trea Turner at shortstop currently, and their No. 2 prospect Aidan Miller seems to be sticking at the position as well, putting him ahead of Caba anyway.

Could Oakland ask for more in a trade for Rooker?

The A's may want another player thrown in to finalize the trade. In other scenarios, the Phillies could throw in their No. 9 prospect Gabriel Rincones Jr., who has power potential but hasn't really found a true defensive position yet. He is still far away from realistically contributing to a major league club.

Another player that the Phillies could add to the trade is familiar with Oakland. Cristian Pache, acquired from the A's last season, could provide enough value to push the trade forward. Pache has shown glimpses of potential but has yet to find his groove at the plate.

While his defense has been good, the addition of Rooker could mean that Johan Rojas or Brandon Marsh — whomever is not in the starting lineup — could be used as a late inning defensive replacement in a playoff scenario if the Phillies were to part with Pache.

Every trade scenario is unique, and each club has its own set of needs and wants. Based on value, however, it seems that at least one of these trade options could allow for the Phillies to acquire a need — a right-handed power bat who can hit left-handed pitching. If acquiring Rooker is the route that the club decides to go, they should be open to any of these packages to address the team's needs to position themselves for another deep postseason run.