Trade and free agent rumors are rampant in MLB this time of year. Speculation surrounds what the Philadelphia Phillies may do to improve their roster following an underwhelming postseason. One of the position groups the club is rumored to upgrade is the backend of their starting pitching rotation.
Taijuan Walker dealt with multiple injuries and was not worth a rotation spot based on his performance when healthy in 2024. Ranger Suárez started the year looking like an NL Cy Young Award candidate. However, his production dipped by a considerable degree beginning in the summer. He also missed a month with a back injury, but his inconsistency continued.
Will the Phillies look to the trade market to boost the end of their rotation? Anything is possible, especially factoring in how the season ended disappointingly.
Just Baseball proposes a mock trade that has the Phillies paying a hefty price for White Sox's starter Garrett Crochet
Just Baseball recently proposed a three-team mock draft involving the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and Phillies. Philadelphia and Seattle each receive a player they have been rumored to be interested in acquiring.
Chicago's prospect system gets even better in the trade proposal. In a piece by Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra, and Jonathan Mayo for MLB.com ranking every farm system in mid-August, the franchise had the 11th-best farm system.
Acquiring five more young prospects — three of Philadelphia's that all rank within their top 10 and two of Seattle's that both rank in their top 15, may give the White Sox one of the top farm systems in baseball at the start of the 2025 regular season. Chicago's prospect system ranked near the bottom of the league at the beginning of 2024 and in the previous two years.
3-team mock trade featuring two of the top trade candidates on the market👀 pic.twitter.com/PyULXoIdDV
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) November 19, 2024
The Mariners receive Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm. The infielder has been rumored to be a suitable fit for Seattle recently. MLB Network's Jon Morosi discussed how Philly's third baseman may be a match for the club on Seattle Sports' Wyman and Bob radio program on Nov. 14.
Morosi mentioned to guest hosts Mike Lefko and Gary Hill why the Mariners may have concerns about acquiring a player in Bohm with maturity issues but ultimately could be upgrading their roster by trading for him.
"I’m sure the Mariners would want to check into that and see exactly what those reasons are and why, as A.J. was saying , there is a belief that he has to mature a little bit," Morosi said. "I do think if Bohm is available, in general, there are some fundamental underlying reasons to believe that Alec Bohm and the Mariners is a more plausible trade fit than a lot of other ones that have been floated out there.”
The White Sox receive quite a haul of prospects in the mock trade. They receive Seattle's 11th- and 12th-ranked prospects, shortstop Tai Peete and second baseman/shortstop Michael Arroyo, respectively. Chicago's Southside club also acquires Philadelphia's third-, fifth-, and sixth-ranked prospects, outfielder Justin Crawford, catcher Eduardo Tait, and pitcher Mick Abel, respectively.
Philly was in the mix to acquire starter Garrett Crochet at July's trade deadline, but the White Sox wanted their top pitching prospect, Andrew Painter, in return. The Phillies chose not to pursue a trade because they did not want to part with the 21-year-old right-hander.
If the Phillies want to acquire Crochet and do not want to part with their first or second-ranked prospect in shortstop Aidan Miller or Painter, the team may need to part with a few other of their top young players, including a promising outfielder in Crawford.
The center-fielder may be ready to debut in the majors during the middle of next season if he continues his outstanding progression. After posting a slash line of .301/.349/.438 with the High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws in 70 games, Crawford totaled a .333/.380/.455 line in 40 contests. He and Painter are the Phillies' most anticipated young players, considering they do not appear far off from debuting, which could be during the 2025 regular season.
Tait is still a few years away from being ready to play at the pro level. However, he looks to be another promising talent. After beginning his second year in the minor league system with the rookie-level Florida Complex League Phillies, he received a promotion to the Single-A Clearwater Threshers. The catcher posted a .321/.377/.500 line in 51 contests with the FCL. In 28 games with Clearwater, he totaled a line of .269/.316/.462.
Abel is an unknown following his struggles in 2024. The right-hander had a whopping 6.46 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP in 24 starts with the Triple-A affiliate Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Will he be able to put his bad year behind him? The Phillies added him to their 40-man roster, which protects the team from possibly losing him to another organization in the Rule 5 draft during December.
The Phillies receive Crochet in the three-way deal but are trading away quite a lot for the impressive 25-year-old left-hander. The White Sox starter totaled a 3.58 ERA and an impressive 1.07 WHIP in 2024. He finished with an excellent 209 strikeouts in 32 starts for the worst team in the majors. The Ocean Springs, Mississippi, native could post even more impressive statistics with a better franchise.
Do the Phillies need a better starter at the end of their rotation this much that could require them to part with a talented infielder and three of their top 10 prospects? The case can be made that Philly is looking to win a championship now, and Crochet could help them win a World Series.
Bohm may not be with the team that much longer, as he is set to be a free agent following the 2026 season. No matter how well prospects do in the minors, no one knows how well they will fare in the majors. However, the potential of trading away a starting outfielder, their future starting catcher, and a starting pitcher should give the Phillies' front office reason to pause if this is what it will take to acquire Crochet in a trade.