The Philadelphia Phillies should explore trading Vince Velasquez

A topic that’s been oft-discussed over the last two or three seasons, trading Vince Velasquez continues to be something the Philadelphia Phillies should explore. Not only would dumping “Vinny Velo” give the Phils an extra $4 million to play with, but for the first time in a long time the team likely has better options already in place on the roster.

The additions of Matt Moore and Chase Anderson should round out the back of the Phillies starting rotation, and arms like Spencer Howard, Adonis Medina, and Ranger Suarez make for decent “swingmen” should a sixth starter be needed.

During her Opening Day roster prediction for PhilliesNation.com, Destiny Lugardo said it best:

"Where’s Vince Velasquez?: Traded. With the roster constructed as is, he just doesn’t fit. The swingman role isn’t his forte and the Phillies will need two roster spots to open up for Kintzler and Watson. Could it be a move the Phillies could eventually regret? Absolutely. Teams need a lot more starting pitching than just the five or six men they could have in the rotation and Velasquez has thrown over 100 innings three times in his big league career. It’s a risk, but the Phillies can probably get the same kind of production they can get from Velasquez out of a combination of Adonis Medina, Ramón Rosso and Ranger Suárez."

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Across five seasons and 112 games (99 starts) with the Philadelphia Phillies, Velasquez has accumulated an ERA of 4.76 and a WHIP of 1.387. The team has repeatedly tried to mold him into some sort of flame-throwing reliever, but VV always seems to find a way back into the Phillies rotation – primarily due to their lack of inherent starter depth.

This past season in 2020, things got so shaky with the Phillies pitching depth that Velasquez was routinely being called upon to make key starts down the stretch.

Not ideal!

Ultimately speaking, a near 5.00 ERA after six seasons in the majors simply isn’t good enough. While there’s definitely some level of intrinsic value to stashing away starters who can consistently eat innings, odds are that Dave Dombrowski could find a better way to use the $4 million that’s currently being allocated to Vince.

The Philadelphia Phillies should try and trade Vince Velasquez.

The Phils’ bullpen could use another established reliever or two, and former All-Star starter Jake Odorizzi remains unsigned on the open market. If dumping Velasquez means another reliable arm gets to enter the team via free agency, I think everyone would be in agreement that that’s a route the Phillies should be taking.

Velasquez has reportedly generated some trade interest in the past, so there should (in theory) be a market for the 28 year old right-hander.

As much as we all wanted Velasquez to develop into some sort of elite starter when he was acquired way back in 2016, it simply hasn’t happened. Philly cutting ties as they gear up for yet another postseason push honestly feels like a no-brainer at this point in time.