Philadelphia Phillies MLB Trade Deadline Predictions – Targeting Bullpen and Bench Depth

As the season gets closer and closer to June, teams start to find their identities, and determine whether or not they will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline come late July.

Well, it’s late-May, and the Phillies are winners of six straight and just completed a 7-1 home stand after sweeping the defending World Champion Texas Rangers. 

Through the first 51 games of the 2024 MLB season, they have posted a dominant 37-14 record. They are 9-1 over their last 10 games and currently have a six game lead over the Atlanta Braves for first place in the National League East. 

Phillies NL East Standings

Yes, the month of May has been kind to the Phillies but the “strength of schedule” really means nothing when you’re absolutely destroying any team in your path.

The Phillies have won 29 of their last 35 games and while it’s important to not look too far ahead, it’s time to focus on how to solidify this lineup and pitching staff at the MLB Trade Deadline in order to fully prepare for what should be another deep postseason run. 

That brings us to the MLB Trade Deadline. While we’re roughly two months away, there are a few areas of focus that the Phillies should start tracking immediately. It’s not like team’s are completely silent on the trade front right now either. The Padres and Marlins kicked off trade season early when Miami sent Luis Arraez to the Padres, getting three Top 15 prospects from San Diego in return.

Primary Focus: Bolster the Bullpen

Jose Alvarado has served as the Phillies’ primary closer this season and has performed well. He has nine saves this year while posting a 1-2 record with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP over 21.1 innings of work. 

Outside of Alvarado, the Phillies have used a mixture of Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering, and Seranthony Dominguez – who continues to “return to form” after a wildly successful 2022 season. If you’re looking for a “hole” in the Phillies’ roster, then it comes at the closer position. 

Mason Miller – Oakland Athletics

Mason Miller is going to be a very popular name over the next two months. The Oakland Athletics are a dumpster fire and will almost certainly be looking offload any type of talent at the deadline. Mason Miller is the best they have to offer.

Miller, a 25 year old right-handed reliver/closer is off to a fantastic start this season, posting a
2.05 ERA over 17 appearances (22.0 IP) this season. Miller has a 0.77 WHIP and 42 strikeouts to go along with nine saves. 

Mason Miller continues to bring the heat for the @Athletics:

🔥 101.7 mph average fastball
🔥 Max: 103.4 mph
🔥 Min: 100.5 mph
🔥 5 of 6 outs via K
🔥 8 whiffs on 13 swings pic.twitter.com/fR3ggJZwX5

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 15, 2024

The only issue the Phillies could run into while trying to acquire Miller is the fact that he’s under team control through the 2029 season. That will almost certainly drive his asking price through the roof, making him nearly untouchable for the majority of ball clubs that contact Oakland.

Don’t get me wrong, the Phillies definitely have prospects to pull off the trade and as Drew Smith always says, “no prospect is untouchable”. The Phillies would have to part ways with at least two of the MLB Top 100 Prospects in their system, meaning a combination of Mick Abel, Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford, or Aidan Miller would be shipped to the Athletics Shadow Realm.

You would think that a trade package would definitely include Mick Abel and Justin Crawford and honestly, Aidan Miller too. While it may seem like a lot, the Phillies “window” to win World Series is now. Adding Miller as a closer is a no-brainer for a team that has championship aspirations over the next 3-4 years.

More Realistic Option: Ryan Helsley – St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are rarely considered a team that “sells” at the MLB Trade Deadline, but entering the weekend at 23-26 on the season and in third place in the National League Central could change that over the next two months. 

If the Phillies miss out on the Mason Miller Sweepstakes, they should pivot to St. Louis.

Ryan Helsley “flame-throwing” closer that has been dominant since the start of the 2022 season. This year, Helsey is 2-2 with a 1.23 ERA over 22 innings pitched. He has 24 strikeouts and 15 saves to go along with a 0.86 WHIP. 

“Hellz Bellz” is 29 years old and a 2015 fifth round pick of the Cardinals. He’s currently on an arbitration contract that’s paying him $3.8 million for 1-year. He’ll be eligible again next year and an unrestricted free agent in 2026. 

Do the Phillies need more bench depth..?

The Phillies’ starting lineup is the of the best in baseball and I highly doubt a trade for a starting position player is made, so the bench, if anything, is likely to be the main focus. 

The Phils’ bench currently has INF Edmundo Sosa, OF Christian Pache, UTL Whit Merrifield, and C Garrett Stubbs. They also have INF Kody Clemons, who has been very good for the Phillies since Trea Turner hit the IL. 

Edmundo Sosa: 62 AB | 20 H | 2 HR | 11 RBI | .323 AVG | .965 OPS

Cristian Pache: 40 AB | 9 H | 7 RBI | .225 AVG | .633 OPS 

Kody Clemens: 31 AB | 9 H | 10 RBI | .290 | 1.055 OPS 

Whit Merrifield: 89 AB | 17 H | 2 HR | 4 RBI | 5 SB | .191 AVG | .550 OPS. 

The Phillies have an interesting Merrifield is interesting. Last season with the Toronto Blue Jays, he hit .272 with 11 home runs and 67 RBI. He’s a career .282 hitter and is currently going through a rough start to his Phillies’ debut.

The Phillies could look to move Merrifield, even more so with Edmundo Sosa playing as well as he has in limited appearances this season. Merrifield, a 2023 All-Star, has been arguably the worst player of that group. He is hitting .191 with two home runs and five stolen bags.

While the struggles are likely stemming from the former star’s transition to the bench, something he has never really done, he still has a chance to get back to himself from just last year in Turner’s absence. If he can’t, Whiz Whit could be a possible trade piece for the Phils. 

If we’re being honest, the biggest flaw on the bench is the backup catcher.

While I believe that the Chief Vibes Officer is one of the most important positions on the team, Realmuto covers the glaring issues with Garrett Stubbs as his backup. His recent absences have shown that Stubbs is simply just not reliable at the dish.

Fingers crossed, Realmuto does not miss any more time once he returns to the lineup, then realistically the backup catcher plays one or two times every ten games. That could be a solution there. But at the end of the day, there is no guarantee that will be the case. 

My preferred solution would be to have Rafael Marchan ready and waiting, but the switch-hitting catcher was just recently sent on his rehab assignment, so who knows if he will be ready. He also has not seen major league pitching since 2021, which could also be an issue.

Surprise Rotation Move?

The Phillies rotation has been nothing short of outstanding this season. Ranger Suarez looks like a possible Cy Young candidate, along with first-year ace Zack Wheeler. Aaron Nola is still Aaron Nola, and Christopher Sanchez has exceeded all expectations. Spencer Turnbull pitched great before his move to the bullpen, and even Taijuan Walker is winning games. 

The Phillies have hands down one of the best if not the best rotation in the game, yet I would not be shocked if Dave Dombrowski and Co. went out and brought in another starter. 

You may think I am crazy, and you’re probably right, but it would not surprise me if one more starter was added. That just becomes one more “long-reliever” come October time or even a “piggyback” setup for late in the season to prevent burnout. 

Look at the last two deadlines, in 2022 it was Noah Syndergaard, and last season it was Michael Lorenzen. While they did not already have a Spencer Turnbull in those seasons, the Phillies have shown a tendency to go out and get starting pitching depth. Another starter is the least likely scenario for the Phils at the deadline, but hey it’s a surprise for a reason. 

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Mandatory Credit: Image from Reggie Hildred of USA Today Sports