Read — 4 trade candidates Phillies fans should keep an eye on this summer — and more Phillies news and rumors on PhilliesNation.com.
If there is going to be a year that Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski goes all in and makes a major move, now is as good a time as ever. The Phillies currently have the best record in baseball, and with quite a few players in their early-30s, this core is likely at the back end of their World Series window.
The problem, if you can call it that, is that the Phillies don’t have any glaring weaknesses right now. Also of note is that this projects to be a pretty weak group of trade candidates, as cellar dwellers like the Los Angeles Angels, Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox have little, if anything, to offer.
Still, Dombrowski is one of the more aggressive executives in the history of the sport, and another World Series title would cement his likely Cooperstown-bound legacy. One way or another, the Phillies are probably going to make a noteworthy addition in advance of the July 30 trade deadline. Certainly, the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and other World Series contenders will.
Here are four trade candidates that figure to be relevant to the Phillies, either because they would be great fits in red pinstripes, or could land with potential playoff foes.
Under Dombrowski, the Phillies have preferred to go matchup-based in the ninth inning. Craig Kimbrel closed for a bulk of the season last year, but wasn’t promised the role upon signing and only spent a year with the team. By all accounts, the Phillies didn’t pursue Josh Hader this past offseason.
Still, if you’re looking to put the cherry on top of what’s already a very talented bullpen, Helsley could be that guy. He’s a closer that can reach triple digits and has just a 1.63 ERA since the start of the 2022 season.
Ryan Helsley, 100mph Paint.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 23, 2024pic.twitter.com/NlJpo31u13
Helsley is also under team control through the 2025 season, so you would be guaranteed two pennant runs with him. That’s noteworthy considering that Jeff Hoffman can become a free agent after the season and Seranthony Domínguez has an $8 million club option for 2025 that the Phillies are far from certain to exercise.
Of course, if the Cardinals are willing to trade Helsley, a bunch of teams are going to be interested. Would Dombrowski be willing to trade a prospect like outfielder Justin Crawford or RHP Mick Abel — ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in the farm system, per Phillies Nation‘s Ty Daubert — for Helsley? Surely the Phillies don’t want to plunge into mediocrity or worse in a few years, as they did after 2011 in large part because they didn’t continue to develop impact players. But they also don’t want to leave this era without a World Series title.
Whether and to what extent the Phillies address the outfield before the trade deadline depends on a few factors.
Do the Phillies think Johan Rojas is providing enough value — both at the plate and in the field — to be a starter on a World Series team? Does Nick Castellanos, who is hitting .199 with a .568 OPS, heat up at any point this season? And do the Phillies feel comfortable starting Brandon Marsh against left-handed pitching in October?
O’Neill is a player who would give the Phillies a major boost. He can play both corner outfield spots, and probably center field in a pinch. He delivers right-handed thump — he has 10 home runs and a .905 OPS in 2024 — which the Phillies lack outside of Alec Bohm right now. He’s also only a rental, meaning you won’t have to empty out your farm system to acquire him, and it leaves you flexibility for 2025.
In a weird way, if Castellanos doesn’t get going, that makes it harder to keep Rojas’ bat in the lineup. It’s one thing to have Rojas hitting ninth and largely in the lineup for his defense and baserunning if the first eight hitters above him are all excellent. But if Castellanos is struggling, the Phillies are going to need to find power from the right side elsewhere, and O’Neill could give them that.
O’Neill could play left field with Marsh in center field and Castellanos in right field against right-handed pitching. You would be losing Rojas’ defense, but Marsh is capable of playing in center field and O’Neill is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner in left.
Against left-handed pitching, O’Neill could play left field with Rojas in center field, Castellanos in right field and Marsh out of the lineup.
Because O’Neill would only be a rental, you could return to an Opening Day lineup of Marsh in left, Rojas in center and Castellanos in right in 2025. In the meantime, though, O’Neill would give you a strong defender that hits well from the right side of the plate, which would be a worthwhile addition as you pursue a World Series.
Luzardo isn’t really on this list because he would be a target of the Phillies. But he pitches for one division rival, and could very well be a fit for another NL East foe.
The 26-year-old might be a step below elite, but he was very good between 2022 and 2023 for the Fish, posting a 3.48 ERA and 3.40 FIP across 50 starts. That version of Luzardo — especially considering he can’t become a free agent until after the 2026 season — would be coveted on this summer’s market.
Luzardo recently returned from an injured list stint caused by left elbow tightness. He’ll obviously have to continue to lower his 5.02 ERA, but pitching six shutout innings Friday was a good start.
With Spencer Strider lost for the season, perhaps no contender will be in more desperate need of frontline pitching this summer than the Braves. Max Fried and Chris Sale are already in their rotation, so would president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos really trade for another lefty? Well, beggars can’t be choosers. Also, between Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani, the Braves figure to see a lot of left-handed hitters with pop in the playoffs, so having a lefty-heavy rotation could actually work in their favor.
Phillies fans are familiar with Thomas, who they’ve seen over parts of four seasons with the division-rival Nationals. Thomas got off to an ice-cold start in 2024 and is currently on the injured list with a left MCL sprain, though it doesn’t sound like he’s far from returning.
If the asking price for O’Neill is too high, Thomas could be an interesting pivot. The 28-year-old has an .876 OPS in his career against left-handed pitching, but just a .673 mark against righties. That could make him an interesting platoon partner with Marsh in left field, while also giving the Phillies an option to spell Castellanos on occasion.
Thomas can’t become a free agent until after the 2025 season, so the Nationals don’t need to trade him this summer if they end up as sellers. But even if veteran outfielder Jesse Winker is dealt this summer, the Nationals are likely to see top prospect James Wood debut at some point before the year is out, and No. 2 prospect Dylan Crews, also an outfielder, probably isn’t too far behind. So for the right price, Thomas could likely be had. The Phillies could either then have him for two playoff races, or flip him in the offseason.
A side note: Starling Marte would have been the ideal pivot from O’Neill here. The problem is that the 35-year-old is under contract for $20.75 million in 2025, which is a non-starter unless the New York Mets are willing to pay down a sizable chunk of it.
