Move and Trade: The Phillies will trade five (5) stars in order to get required Superstars during the Winter Meetings, Full list of Stars
Who would the Phillies have to trade in order to obtain some of the players who could be moved during the Winter Meetings?
The Winter Meetings are held from December 3-6 in Nashville, Tennessee, when several signings and deals take place. Following the re-signing of Aaron Nola earlier in November, the Philadelphia Phillies are not expected to be as active during the Winter Meetings as other teams.
The Phillies’ front management has made some important moves at the Winter Meetings over the years. Consider the 1978 Pete Rose signing or the 1974 Tug McGraw deal with the New York Mets. During the 2019 Winter Meetings, current ace Zack Wheeler was signed away from the Mets. Philadelphia most recently agreed to an 11-year, $300 million contract with free agency shortstop Trea Turner during the 2022 Winter Meetings.
If Dombrowski’s words during Nola’s re-signing are any indication, the Phillies will make just minimal moves for the rest of the offseason and are unlikely to trade for any of these guys.
Could Philadelphia, on the other hand, surprise by making a blockbuster trade and making an impact at the Winter Meetings for the second year in a row? Let’s take a look at who the Phillies would have to sell to get five players who have been linked to trades in the run-up to the Winter Meetings.
While the prospect of acquiring any of these five players is enticing for Philadelphia’s roster presently, their president of baseball operations should strongly consider how much of the organization’s top prospect pool it is willing to trade away.
FIRST: A star outfielder recently rumored to be on the trade block.
Randy Arozarena, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
According to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, the Phillies could be looking to improve their outfield as Johan Rojas may start next season back in Philadelphia’s minor league system. Nick Castellanos’s name was in trade rumors a few weeks ago following the inconsistency he showed during the playoffs. However, the organization debunked these rumors as they view him as a key contributor for them during the next few seasons.
The Tampa Bay Rays are willing to listen to trade offers for star outfielder Randy Arozarena. One of GQ’s 2023 Men of the Year had a solid season for Tampa Bay in some offensive categories. He set new career highs in runs (95), home runs (23), and walks (80) during 2023. His 83 RBI were six fewer than the 89 he totaled in 2022 and his 22 stolen bases were 10 fewer than his career-high of 32.
He has three full seasons in the majors following his breakout campaign during the 2020 postseason. During the playoffs in that COVID-19 pandemic-abbreviated season, Arozarena had 14 RBI in 20 contests. He had a slash line of .377/.442/.831 and his 10 home runs remain the most by a player in a single postseason.
What would the Rays be looking for in exchange for the 28-year-old outfielder? A lot. He still has three years of team control before he becomes a free agent following the 2026 season. Philadelphia’s championship window is now and the organization wants to win a championship over that span. The charismatic Arozarena would presumably play a huge part on a Phillies World Series-winning squad, considering his success during the postseason for Tampa Bay.
The Rays would be interested in some of the Phillies’ minor-league pitchers, such as Mick Abel. Philadelphia’s second-ranked prospect had a 4.14 ERA in 22 starts at Double-A for the Reading Fightin Phils. He finished the season at Triple-A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
Outfielder Justin Crawford played 69 games at Single-A with the Clearwater Threshers. He had a slash line of .344/.399/.478 before his promotion to the High-A Jersey Shore BlueClaws. The 19-year-old’s success continued as he had a .288/.366/.425 line in 18 contests. He could earn another promotion to Double-A during the 2024 season. He would garner interest from the Rays as well.
Rays outfielder Manuel Margot may also be in another uniform by the start of next season, as he has been in trade rumors. Would Tampa Bay be interested in acquiring Johan Rojas? Rojas impressed for the Phillies defensively once he made his Major League debut last season in the middle of July.
However, Rojas struggled mightily at the plate during the postseason with a slash line of .093/.114/.163. The 23-year-old is not guaranteed to begin 2024 with the Phillies and may start with the IronPigs to improve his offense.
Brandon Marsh is another young outfielder who has displayed his talent with Philadelphia since he was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels at the 2022 Trade Deadline. He is another good defensive player who also displayed his offensive talent with a slash line of .277/.372/.458 last season. In 38 at-bats during the 2023 playoffs, he had a .342/.405/.526 line. The availability of the young, energetic outfielder or Rojas would be brought up in return for a player of Arozarena’s caliber.
Corbin Burnes, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
Corbin Burnes has been one of the premier starting pitchers in baseball over the last four years. Since the start of 2020, the 29-year-old has a 2.86 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP.
The Milwaukee Brewers ace has been among the best pitchers in accumulating strikeouts over the last four years, and only Zack Wheeler has more Wins Above Replacement than Burnes during the same period.
Burnes would represent a tremendous addition to the Phillies and give them a contender to be the top rotation in all of baseball next season headlined by Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and the 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner.
Milwaukee may be going through a retooling/rebuild phase following an early-round playoff exit to the Arizona Diamondbacks this year. Former manager Craig Counsell departed the organization in favor of the division rival Chicago Cubs. Burnes, who has a year left before free agency, may be traded at some point this winter or at the 2024 Trade Deadline if the Brewers are not a contender for the playoffs next season.
If Burnes is traded this offseason, the Brewers will demand a high price. Unlike Arozarena, the pitcher’s lack of club control on his current contract (a year before free agency) may influence how much Milwaukee receives in return, especially if he’s traded at the deadline next season.
However, if the Phillies are interested in acquiring the starter this summer, it would be preferable if they could sign him to a multi-year contract following a trade because they would be giving up significant assets for him. The Brewers do not require any additional outfielders in the major leagues and may be interested in acquiring young pitchers.
Last season, Cristopher Sánchez continued to impress as a mid- to bottom-of-the-rotation pitcher for the Phillies. This season, he recorded a 1.05 WHIP and 96 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings. He had a 3.44 ERA and a.235 batting average against the left-hander.
Orion Kerkering was promoted to the Phillies near the end of the regular season. He began his career with the Clearwater Threshers, Philadelphia’s Single-A club, last year. He immediately rose through the club’s minor league system, making his Major League debut on September 24.
Third baseman Aidan Miller, Philadelphia’s No. 4 prospect, excelled with the Florida Complex League Phillies, the organization’s Rookie-level affiliate. He finished with a .414/.528/.483 slash line at this level and ended the season with the High-A Clearwater Threshers, where he had a .216/.341/.297 line.
A Corbin Burnes deal by the Phillies may look like this:
RHP Corbin Burnes is acquired by the Phillies.
The Brewers get LHP Cristopher Sánchez, RHP Orion Kerkering, RHP Mick Abel, and 3B Miller, Aidan
Philadelphia would be wise to wait and see if the right-hander becomes available before next year’s Trade Deadline. The cost may be less than dealing for him this offseason, which would undermine their farm system, which was never great to begin with. They may always try to sign him if he becomes available in free agency next winter.
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