Whether buying or selling, we should expect the Philadelphia Phillies to make some major moves this summer. They’re at a point where they need to start making the right moves and not just what they view as the most expensive ones.
One major criticism we can all have of this front office was how they continue to stack similar players onto the roster. The team already had some obvious DH candidates on the roster heading into the season and yet they still signed two more when they agreed to deals with Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber. While good moves, it doesn’t address some other needs of the club which may be why they find themselves selling this July.
If that’s what eventually happens with this club, these five players might be the best they can offer to the rest of the league.
1. Philadelphia Phillies trade candidate: Corey Knebel.
The Phillies signed Corey Knebel to either help them close out a World Series or become a trade deadline candidate. There’s little in between with him.
Knebel has been solid as the team’s closer this year. His one-year deal meant to rebuild his own free agency stock for next winter was a wise enough risk for the front office and one that could pay off big for him if he remains successful in Philadelphia.
If you’ve paid attention to even a second of the MLB trade deadline, you’ll know relief pitchers on bad teams are often the most sought-after of any position. Even the best clubs often have the need for a relief pitcher. Knebel, with a closer pedigree, could fill the need for a team in the ninth inning or work as a setup man.
The Phillies won’t feel like they’ve lost if they do end up missing the playoffs and fail to move Knebel at the deadline. It’s just a one year commitment and in the final two months of the season, they could always turn things around. Before we get to that point, they’d be better off stockpiling some wins and making sure their best laid plans with Knebel come true.
2. Philadelphia Phillies trade candidate: Rhys Hoskins.
Rhys Hoskins is under team control for one more year after this but that shouldn’t stop the Phillies from shopping him as soon as this year’s trade deadline. The market for first basemen/DHs in the offseason isn’t incredibly vast whereas mid-year teams may have far fewer options. Let’s say a team is without their starting first baseman or could simply use an offensive boost out of the DH spot. This is where a guy like Hoskins can come in and rake.
There’s no urgency to move on from Hoskins but it feels as if that’s the eventual future he will have in Philadelphia. His time with the club has been a bit underwhelming at times. After looking like the next Ryan Howard early on in his career, Hoskins has turned into a less powerful first baseman whose eye at the plate and ability to draw walks makes him an OBP darling.
Trading Hoskins this summer could also allow the Phillies to line themselves up better defensively. Castellanos or Schwarber could get starts at first base. Alec Bohm could even move across the diamond.
Everyone knows the Phillies are a dreadfully poor team when it comes to fielding the ball. Hoskins has been one of the longer-tenured players in this regard. The Phillies don’t need to trade him if they fall out of the playoff race like they do with Knebel. They should, at the very least, field a few offers.
3. Philadelphia Phillies trade candidate: Kyle Gibson.
In his second year with the club, Kyle Gibson has been pretty good for them. Brought in at last year’s trade deadline, maybe he ends up getting the Hunter Pence treatment and is traded away this summer. Gibson has pitched well enough to become yet another trade deadline asset for a losing club to deal—the situation he found himself in as a member of the Texas Rangers in 2021.
Unlike some other starters in this rotation potentially headed to free agency, Gibson is older and not exactly someone the Phillies would be wise to invest in further. Aaron Nola has a team option the club should pick up for 2023. Zach Eflin is a little tougher to know what to do with. Years younger than Gibson, he’s more worth another year although trading him as well wouldn’t be ridiculous especially if there is no intention on bringing him back.
As dire of a need as relief pitching often is around the trade deadline, starting pitching might be only slightly less desired by the best teams. The shortened spring has caused a lot of good starters to go down with injuries. Given this, the Phillies might have themselves a wide-open market to deal away players.
Obviously, Phillies fans shouldn’t be rooting for this to be the case. The team has some fight left in them. In which case, we can only hope Gibson continues to be a solid mid-rotation arm for them down the stretch.
4. Philadelphia Phillies trade candidate: Jean Segura.
The situation with Jean Segura is yet another tricky one for the Phillies. Do they pick up his option of $17 million next year or let him walk? Segura has been good for the Phillies even if he does at times become one of the club’s most frustrating players.
The Phillies have no immediate answers at second base to replace Segura which could have them paying him a lot of money next year as they once again attempt to capture a title with him on the roster. Segura has been a good fit for the club as someone who isn’t purely looking to hit a home run in every at-bat. He’s also not a bad defender at second base. If there’s one thing we can criticize about his defense it has been how much the Phillies have moved him around. He has spent regular time at shortstop and third base before finally settling in at his current spot where he is probably best-suited.
The market for second basemen can be a unique one because it’s not always a position with high expectations. An injury to one of the top guy sat the position can always change this. A months-long slump may also motivate a team enough to call up the Phillies and seek to make a swap.
Assessing whether or not to trade Segura this year in an absent season will be a tough decision for the front office to make. Personally, I’d prefer they only shop guys on expiring contracts (and Hoskins) if we look at the standings in late July and see the Phillies fading.
5. Philadelphia Phillies trade candidate: Brad Hand.
Brad Hand looks like a good one-year buy for the Phillies in their attempt to restock the bullpen. He probably won’t be back again next season. Much like Knebel and even Jeurys Familia—a player with much less trade value—Hand is someone the Phillies would most likely shop in a non-buying summer.
As a lefty with closer experience, Hand is someone teams could use as everything from a setup man to the second lefty out of the bullpen. His $6 million contract will have been more than halfway paid by the time the trade deadline arrives so there’s no real burden on anyone’s payroll.
Hand was an “all or nothing” type of signing by the Phillies with an expectation that if they don’t win now with him they’d probably thank him for his services and move on. Nothing should change this. He is too much of a veteran for a long-term deal of any kind.
The market for a guy like Hand already exists and surely there are general managers keeping tabs on his performance. Once one of the game’s best closers, he is now a guy hoping to make it as long as he can in Philly. With good but not great value on the trade market, he’s someone the team will absolutely sell if the season gets lost.