Philadelphia Phillies: Top 5 bullpen trade targets, per MLB Trade Rumors

2 of 6

Jun 3, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Richard Rodriguez (48) pitches against the Miami Marlins during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Richard Rodriguez, Pittsburgh Pirates

The #7 ranked player on MLBTR’s list, Richard Rodriguez was highlighted as an “anonymous” high-end reliever due to the fact that his name isn’t really one that’s nationally recognized all that often. Likely due to the fact that he plays for the lowly Pirates, Rodriguez’ numbers instead paint the picture of someone who should be viewed as a hot commodity at this year’s trade deadline.

Currently possessing a 1.85 ERA and an eye-popping 0.699 WHIP, Rodriguez has flat-out been one of the best closers in baseball. He’s finished 19 games and is 7/9 in save opportunities, and his strikeout/walk rate sits north of 6.00.

The most attractive part about Rodriguez? He’s under team control all the way through 2023.

While the Philadelphia Phillies aren’t in a typical “win-now” mode when it comes to this year’s trade deadline, they should still be looking to add pieces that can help them win in 2022 and beyond. The expectation is that Dombrowski is going to completely reshape this ball club in his vision this offseason, and it’d probably be best if he starts that process now.

Picking up Rodriguez now, and having him as a closer/setup man for the next 2+ seasons would seriously improve the longterm image of the Phillies ‘pen.

Home/Philadelphia Phillies