Burn the Kingdom: No Phillies prospect is untouchable if it means building a postseason monster

For all of the nonsense spewed across social media and Philly Sports Talk Radio, the one that really makes zero sense is about the Philadelphia Phillies farm system and why certain players are untouchable when it comes to trade talks.

In reality, it’s a simple concept. The Philadelphia Phillies are in the midst of a championship window that is wide open. The window will not last forever. We are blessed with a loaded core, MVP-caliber players like Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, and at minimum, three starting pitchers that are all in the Cy Young Award conversation.

When you pair that with a city that is foaming at the mouth for another World Series parade, it makes complete sense to burn the kingdom to the ground if that means building a monster.

The time is now.

Reminder to Phillies fans: No prospect is untouchable.

Yes, that means Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford, and Aidan Miller are all expendable. It honestly is funny even writing this, but could you imagine thinking that going all-in on a World Series this year is less important than saving someone like Aidan Miller for a chance to win a World Series in 2027?

It’s a ridiculous thought process.

Before the rats come in, I am well aware that Crawford is raking in Lehigh Valley. He’s hitting .343 with 26 swiped bags. Andrew Painter has struggled but he could very well be the best pitching prospect that the Phillies have ever produced and Aidan Miller has “future All-Star” written all over him. Throw in teenager Eduardo Tait as the “catcher of the future” and I understand the hesitation.

Unfortunately, none of the above really matters because flags fly forever.

Now that we’re on the same page, here’s the latest juice ahead of the deadline.

Jeff Passan floated the idea of landing Emmanuel Clase and Steven Kwan from the Guardians at the deadline. In return, the Phillies would have to give up a mixture of their top prospects. Again, I’m not opposed to it but is the return enough? Honestly, I’m not too sure.

The Case for Clase (and Why the Bullpen Desperately Needs Him)

The Phillies bullpen has been inconsistent all year, and if you still have emotional scars from last year’s postseason implosion, you’re not alone. In the NLDS loss to the Mets, Phillies relievers gave up 17 runs in just 12⅔ innings. That’s not a bad bullpen, that’s a fatal flaw and things have only gotten worse this season.

Clase is the exact kind of guy you go get to fix it. The Guardians’ closer has a 1.86 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP, and throws the most unfair cutter on the planet. He’s signed through 2028 for pennies, just $26 million over the next three seasons.

He’s young. He’s elite. And he’s exactly what this team doesn’t have right now. The alternative is playing the “what if” game while another postseason slips away because you couldn’t hold a lead in the 7th inning.

The Kwan Side of the Equation

The Phillies outfield hasn’t been great either.

Johan Rojas has elite speed and defense but can’t hit a beach ball. Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh have not proven to themselves to be every day players either. When you have 2-of-3 outfields providing nothing at the plate, you are not winning a World Series.

Enter Steven Kwan, who’s hitting .352 with a .409 OBP and elite contact skills.

Steven Kwan is the anti-Schwarber.

This guy doesn’t swing and miss, plays strong defense, and gives you a quality at-bat every time. He’d slot in perfectly at the top or bottom of the order and give the Phils a real outfield weapon under team control through 2027.

No Prospect is Untouchable, but let’s be reasonable here

Personally, I’d be fine with trading any mixture of prospects not named Painter, Crawford, or Miller. If it takes Mick Abel, Griff McGarry, Carlos De La Cruz, Eduardo Tait, etc. — make it happen. Those guys have value, and it’s time to use it.

Once you start talking about moving cornerstone-level prospects, the return better be massive. Clase is awesome. Kwan is a throwback. But that’s not a “clean out your top-tier system” kind of deal.

What’s the Middle Ground?

So no, I’m not throwing those guys into a deal for just Clase and Kwan. Not unless we’re talking multiple elite bullpen arms coming back or a combo of a dominant reliever and a right-handed, power hitting, cornerstone outfielder.

You want to win now? Fine. Just don’t burn down the farm system for a maybe.

Painter? Franchise-level arm if he stays healthy. Miller? One of the best young bats in the system. Again, Crawford is hitting .343 in Triple-A with 26 stolen bases and an OBP north of .400 over his last month.

He’s electric. He’s what you dream on in center field — speed, contact, range, instincts. You don’t ship that away lightly, especially when your current outfield isn’t exactly loaded for the long haul.

Other Options Linked to the Phillies

I like the idea of taking everything you can from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Give me Dennis Santana, David Bednar, and Bryan Reynolds.

The #Phillies have expressed interest in #Pirates RHPs David Bednar and Dennis Santana, per @_NoahHiles

Hiles notes that Santana seems to be PHI’s primary interest, but PHI’s interest in Bednar “has received a notable uptick as of late.” pic.twitter.com/mbC3u7OBzl

— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) July 5, 2025

Report: Phillies eyeing Pirates relievers Dennis Santana and David Bednar ahead of MLB Trade Deadline

Bryan Reynolds isn’t a rental. He’s locked up on a team-friendly eight-year, $106.75M deal through 2030 — just over $15.3M per season. That’s exactly the kind of move this team should be looking at — an impact bat with term, not another one-year Band-Aid.

Once a journeyman waiver claim, Santana has turned into one of the sharpest bullpen finds of the season.

Since arriving in Pittsburgh, he’s posted a 1.99 ERA across 81.1 IP, with an elite 5.8% walk rate, strong strikeout numbers, and legit hard-contact suppression. His 1.46 ERA this year might be BABIP-aided (.206), but the peripherals (3.52 SIERA) still support the success.

As for Bednar, the 2024 struggles are in the rearview. Since being optioned and recalled in April, he’s delivered a 1.88 ERA and 34.7% strikeout rate in 28.2 innings, looking every bit like a dominant reliever.

Bednar was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023. He’s outperforming his 2.73 ERA with a 2.27 SIERA, despite a high .343 BABIP—meaning he’s been even better than the numbers suggest.

Bednar is under control through 2026 and owed the rest of a $5.9M salary this season, making him the more expensive of the two options, but clearly worth it if the Phillies want a lights-out 8th/9th inning arm to pair with Romano or replace him outright.

That type of return is worth any prospect in the system, folks.

I’ll say it again. The Phillies are clearly built to win now. They’re 54-39, first place in the NL East, and the National League in general is wide open. Sure, the Dodgers are good but beatable. The Mets don’t scare me in the slightest and anyone in the NL Central can kick rocks.

The Phillies are in a perfect spot to build a postseason juggernaut.

Nothing — NOTHING — matters outside of winning the World Series. Not prospect rankings. Not long-term payroll projections. Not back-end roster flexibility. Just rings. Go swing big but do it smart. You don’t trade Bryce Harper’s final prime years for “close but no cigar.” Build the monster and if it’s completely necessary, burn the kingdom to do it.

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