Philadelphia Phillies: Ranking Their Best Trade Chips

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May 13, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jeanmar Gomez (46) checks a Cincinnati Reds base runner during the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Phillies won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Number Two: Jeanmar Gomez

If this were done during the offseason Jeanmar Gomez would be ranked higher on this list especially after what the Philadelphia Phillies were able to get in the Ken Giles trade. The Phillies have the luxury of not having to trade the Major League saves leader due to him being under team control until 2018 and that jacks his price sky high.

A deal of Gomez would be more likely to complete during the Winter Meetings but if a team is desperate enough to overpay anything can happen at the trade deadline. Gomez has been unhittable for the Phillies this season with 18 saves in the closer role. Even more important is that he’s closing games in an unconventional way by forcing batters into weak contact rather than blowing fastballs past them.

That is a style that could work for Gomez well into his 30’s and at 28 his best years have yet to come. Gomez has a 2.89 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. So he’s allowing just over one base runner per inning pitched. For a reliever, that’s pretty good. Gomez’s track record shows that this performance is sustainable as he has had an ERA under 3.50 in each of the last four seasons.

Gomez may not bring in the king’s ransom that Ken Giles did but due to his age and years of team control, it would take a top-15 prospect and a top-20 prospect to begin the conversation for trading Gomez.

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