Conventional wisdom has long suggested that the Philadelphia Phillies would be aggressive leading up to the July 31 trade deadline — and that could potentially lead to a blockbuster deal with the Cleveland Guardians involving closer and outfielder.
The core of the team that reached the 2022 World Series is still largely intact, but age and contract status are becoming pressing concerns. Key veterans like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, Zack Wheeler, and Aaron Nola are all on the wrong side of 31. Schwarber and Realmuto are also among the players nearing the end of their deals, while younger contributors such as Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, and Brandon Marsh are approaching arbitration.
In other words, the championship window is starting to close.
That said, an aggressive approach doesn’t necessarily mean reckless spending. There have been ongoing questions about how willing the Phillies are to part with top prospects. However, in a recent report for The Athletic, Matt Gelb noted that rival executives believe the Phillies “want to shop this July in a more expensive aisle than the rental one” — suggesting they’re targeting long-term difference-makers, not just short-term fixes.
With a farm system that USA Today recently ranked as the fourth-best in baseball, the Phillies have no shortage of enticing trade chips as the deadline approaches. While most insiders agree that top prospect Andrew Painter — ranked ninth overall among MLB prospects — is essentially untouchable, the rest of the organization’s top 30 prospects appear to be on the table.
On a recent episode of The Phillies Show podcast, co-hosts Todd Zolecki, Jim Salisbury, and Ruben Amaro Jr. broke down the team’s pressing needs and how their prospect depth could come into play. Zolecki pointed out that Philadelphia now boasts six players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list, thanks in part to the emergence of High-A second baseman Aroon Escobar.
“Yeah, he’s gone,” Amaro quipped, signaling Escobar’s likely inclusion in trade talks.
Amaro went on to mention several other names that could be dealt: shortstop Aidan Miller, outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr., right-hander Mick Abel, catcher Eduardo Tait, and others. “If you want to get a player to help you, you’re going to have to give something up for it,” he emphasized.
Zolecki noted that the Phillies will likely try to hang on to Miller and outfielder Justin Crawford “with every fiber of their being,” but even that might not be guaranteed if the right opportunity presents itself.
Salisbury summed it up bluntly: “Whatever you do, it’s going to hurt, but you got to fix this thing. You got to get a shutdown arm out in that bullpen, and I am very confident they will, because they know they have a ticking odometer on the nucleus of this team. They know they have a great starting rotation, and they know they got to win [a World Series title].”
And it’s not just the bullpen that needs attention. With offensive production lagging in both center field (Johan Rojas and Brandon Marsh) and left field (Max Kepler), the Phillies would be wise to target an impact outfield bat as well.
That’s why a trade for both Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase and outfielder Steven Kwan could be a game-changing move — one that fills two of Philadelphia’s biggest needs in one bold stroke.
Phillies Would Address Multiple Needs With All-In Trade for Emmanuel Clase & Steven Kwan
One trade scenario rapidly gaining traction in MLB circles — and recently highlighted by ESPN’s Jeff Passan — has the Phillies exploring a blockbuster deal with the Guardians for closer Emmanuel Clase and outfielder Steven Kwan.
Clase remains one of the game’s elite relievers, tallying 20 saves with a 2.91 ERA so far this season. He’s coming off three straight years of 40-plus saves and boasts a sparkling career ERA of 1.82. Kwan, now in his fourth MLB season, continues to be the model of consistency at the plate. He’s currently posting numbers nearly identical to his career slash line of .285/.357/.396. Both players are just 27 years old and under team control — Clase through 2028 on a $26 million deal, and Kwan through 2027 for under $20 million total. That kind of talent and cost certainty won’t come cheap.
FanSided’s Christopher Kline recently suggested a package of right-hander Mick Abel (No. 5 prospect), second baseman Aroon Escobar (No. 6), and outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. (No. 11) could potentially get the deal done. But The Phillies Show co-hosts were quick to dismiss that idea as unrealistic — one of the “crazy, ridiculous, stupid ideas” Ruben Amaro Jr. waved off.
“I mean, listen, it’s okay to be bold and to think big,” Amaro said, “but it’s going to deplete your system.”
And that might be exactly what it takes — because that’s what a prospect system is for: fueling a championship push when the window is open.
“In that dream scenario — Clase and Kwan — I mean, it would start with [Aidan] Miller and [Justin] Crawford for sure,” Todd Zolecki said.
“And then it would keep going. Miller, Crawford, Abel, etc. [Eduardo] Tait has a great contract, too,” Amaro added.
“If you get Kwan and Clase, you can give them seven players,” he continued. “I’d throw in Crawford and Miller and all those guys because, guess what? [Kwan and Clase] are big leaguers who are performing right now — guys who can help you win today.”