Trade bait: 4 top prospects Phillies should consider putting on the trade block
As the offseason continues and the Phillies consider the trade market to upgrade the roster, here are four prospects and young players who could be trade bait.
With the Philadelphia Phillies core and the majority of the lineup locked in for the 2024 season, the front office will have to get creative to make significant upgrades. Dave Dombrowski has already come out and said he's focused on fringe roster moves rather than a big splash. But Dombrowski has been known to keep his cards close to his chest, and he is, most definitely, not afraid to take a big leap in the trade market.
The Phillies are in a bit more unfamiliar territory this offseason than in the past. They have four Top 100 prospects as ranked by MLB Pipeline, with a few others just outside the Top 100. The organization has the prospect depth and the financial wherewithal to go out to the trade market and make a big splash this offseason.
The big question that plagues the Phillies and most other World Series contending teams is, how much of the future do you mortgage to capitalize on a window that is clearly open today? Phillies fans will remember the early 2010s when Ruben Amaro Jr. depleted the farm system to make major upgrades in the hopes of capturing another World Series title, just for it to fail and kick off an 11-year playoff drought. It’s a fine line that MLB front offices have to tiptoe constantly.
But there's no doubt that the Phillies are in a prime window of opportunity to win the World Series.
We recently looked at the top prospects the Phillies should absolutely not include in a trade. While one of the most difficult jobs of a front office is to upgrade the Major League team without sacrificing too much of the farm system and the future, Dave Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld will surely turn over every rock to do so. The four prospects listed here might be a good place to start.