Could the Phillies make a trade with one of their division Challengers to Enhance their Team this Winter?
Philadelphia’s division rivals have players whom the Phillies could consider adding to their squad this offseason. The club’s most pressing requirements are starting pitchers, bullpen reinforcements, and another outfielder.
It looks doubtful that the Phillies would add to their roster in a trade with any of their NL East rivals. However, Philadelphia should investigate the possibility; each club has players who may fill a roster spot for the Phils.
The Phillies should consider one trade possibility from each NL East team this offseason.
Steven Okert, RP, Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins have a few left-handed relief pitchers that teams could inquire about. Steven Okert has six years of experience in the major leagues and has spent the last three with Miami.
Philadelphia is not expected to retain Craig Kimbrel or Michael Lorenzen and may acquire a reliever this winter to compete for a role in Spring Training. Okert doesn’t have much success in the role of a closer, but the Phillies may turn to José Alvarado to fill that role in 2024.
Okert could compete for a relief role in Philadelphia’s bullpen with other relievers such as Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, Seranthony Domínguez, and Orion Kerkering. The Marlins pitcher had a .229 average against, a 1.26 WHIP, along with career highs in innings pitched (58 2/3), strikeouts (73), and games (64).
José Butto, SP, New York Mets
José Butto received steady work in the New York Mets’ starting rotation at the end of the 2023 regular season. He reduced his earned run average from 4.30 at the start of September to 3.64 following his October 1 start against the Phillies.
The 25-year-old right-hander allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his five starts and surrendered three or fewer walks in all of his starts during the final month of the regular season. He could be either a back-end starting pitcher in a rotation or compete for a bullpen spot.
Butto may fill in at the bottom of the rotation or as a long reliever in the bullpen for the Phillies. Given that the Mets are in transition, it’s unclear whether Butto is in their long-term plans. Given his strong season, he may be worth consideration if the Phillies can add him to their roster in a trade this offseason.
Lane Thomas, OF, Washington Nationals
Lane Thomas’ name was in trade rumors around the 2023 trade deadline in August. In fact, the Phillies were a possible suitor for the 28-year-old in the summer. Could Philadelphia pursue the outfielder in a deal with the Washington Nationals this offseason?
Even though Thomas represents a player the Nationals could continue to build around, he was a candidate to be traded during the regular season. He had a .268/.315/.468 line in 157 contests that included career-highs in doubles (36), home runs (28), and RBI (86).
Buster Olney of ESPN tweeted that, according to a Phillies source, the club doesn’t have any interest in trading away outfielder Nick Castellanos this offseason. The right fielder’s name surfaced in rumors that the team could possibly move on from him following his inconsistent postseason.
Philadelphia centerfielder Johan Rojas will need to impress the club offensively in Spring Training to begin 2024 at the position. Brandon Marsh will start in either left or center field. Kyle Schwarber will transition to a designated hitter role and play in left field when needed. Cristian Pache will also be in the mix for playing time at left or center in a reserve role.
The Phillies don’t appear to have many clear outfield positions. However, with Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels’ name surfacing in trade speculations, why couldn’t Philadelphia consider Thomas as a less expensive alternative to the future Hall of Famer?
While the Angels’ star outfielder is in a league of his own, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski would surely have to part with more assets in order to get Trout. If the Phillies explored acquiring the Nationals’ rising star earlier in the season, they should resume those discussions with Washington to see if they can get the outfielder this offseason.
Drake Baldwin, C, Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves do not currently have a catcher opening and will not for the foreseeable future. Sean Murphy signed a six-year, $73 million contract last summer, and Travis d’Arnaud will be his backup for the next two seasons.
Over the last two seasons, Drake Baldwin has demonstrated his talent while playing for the club’s minor-league clubs. In 92 games with Atlanta’s High-A ball club, the Rome Braves, he slashed.260/.385/.466. In 63 games at catcher, he had a fielding percentage of.989. During his stint at home plate for Rome, he made seven mistakes.
Baldwin had no mistakes in nine games as a catcher with Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate, the Mississippi Braves. In 14 at-bats with Mississippi, he batted.321/.390/.396. With the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, he produced a.333/.333/.583 slash line and a perfect fielding percentage in two games at catcher.
The 22-year-old will most likely start in Double-A or Triple-A in 2024.
J.T. Realmuto has two years left on his contract and will be in his mid-30s when it expires. Caleb Ricketts, the Phillies’ best minor league catcher, is expected to make his major league debut in 2025. If Philadelphia wants more competition at the position in the future, it should look into acquiring players like Baldwin.
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