Astounding: According to MLB experts, the Phillies in Negotiation for the Market’s Newest Closer
Another huge name has emerged as a potential trade candidate for the Philadelphia Phillies as the MLB winter rumor mill continues to spin. In an unexpected turn of events, the Cleveland Guardians are allegedly willing to trade closer Emmanuel Clase.
Clase is officially on the trade market, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, who broke the story on Friday.
The Phillies spring to mind as an immediate trade partner for the Guardians. It’s no secret that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld are seeking for bullpen upgrades following the disastrous end of the 2023 season.
According to one MLB observer, the Phillies will be interested in the two-time All-Star closer.
On MLB Network Radio on Friday, host Mike Ferrin said that Clase may be appealing in a trade for a team like Philadelphia, which might not want to pay a nine-figure deal to the market’s top free agent closer, Josh Hader.
Former MLB Network GM Jim Duquette concurred with Ferrin’s view.
“It does have their [Philadelphia’s] name written all over it, right?” Duquette said. “Of the teams that need bullpen help … I could see Philly jumping in on this.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70694231/1345192640.0.jpg)
Clase is going to be a very popular trade target for any and every team looking for a closer. He’s under team control for another five seasons at an extremely reasonable salary. He’ll make $2.5 million in 2024, $4.5 million in 2025, and $6 million in 2026 with $10 million team options for 2027 and 2028.
That’s a $33 million investment over the following five seasons for the 25-year-old, who has led the majors in saves the last two years, with 42 in 2022 and 44 this year.
His performance in 2023 may temper trade offers, if only somewhat. He blew 12 saves in 2023, while having the most save opportunities by far (56). Nonetheless, a saving percentage of 78.6 percent is less than desirable. The huge righty had a career-high 3.22 ERA in 72 2/3 innings, although his strikeout percentage decreased to 21.2 percent from 28.4 percent in 2022.
When you dig a bit deeper, his FIP was 2.95, but he had a career-high BABIP of.295, which could be linked to his ground ball percentage plummeting from 63.9 to 55.0 percent.
“Is there a young starting pitcher they [the Phillies] might be willing to move for a closer like Clase?” Duquette speculates.
A young pitcher, such as Cristoph Sánchez or Mick Abel, would surely assist the Phillies’ case. If the Guardians are good at anything, it’s cultivating young pitching potential. They just finished a season in which Logan Allen, Tanner Bibee, and Gavin Williams made their debuts. Not to mention Triston McKenzie, who has been out for most of the season.
While the Guardians would not turn down another young, manageable arm, they may be more interested in a bat. They concluded 2023 with the sixth-lowest team wRC+ (92), as well as the second-worst slugging percentage (.381). A powerful bat like Nick Castellanos’ might improve their offensive right now, but their tight-fisted front staff would undoubtedly sneer at his $20 million annual pay.
This leads us to younger, less expensive possibilities. For position players with major league experience, consider Brandon Marsh or Johan Rojas. Prospects like outfielder Justin Crawford and third baseman Aidan Miller may be more appealing to the Guardians.
If the Phillies end up making a deal for Clase, adding his 99 mph cutter and 91 mph slider to the relief corps will immediately turn the bullpen into a World Series-caliber unit.
Leave a Reply