Philadelphia Phillies: 4 affordable starting pitcher trade options
By Tim Boyle
The greatest need for the Philadelphia Phillies might not be to add a starting pitcher but it wouldn’t hurt for an upgrade. Ranger Suarez and Zach Eflin haven’t been the arms they needed them to be. Even Kyle Gibson is average at best.
Perhaps worst of all, the Phillies don’t have much depth behind their starting five. A wise trade deadline strategy might include adding a starting pitcher only to move one of the current guys into the bullpen where he can improve the relief corps while lying in the grass waiting for another opportunity to start in case of an emergency.
There are several players out there the Phillies could target in a trade. Realistically, these four should be within the prospect price range the team can even afford.
1. Affordable Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher trade candidate: Martin Perez.
Martin Perez is having an excellent year for the Texas Rangers. Through 14 starts, he’s 5-2 with a 1.96 ERA. Despite this fantastic numbers, he shouldn’t be out of reach for the Phillies. He might just cost more than usual because of his unexpectedly dominant early performance.
Perez is a free agent after this season which does make him a rental. The Phillies’ relationship with Texas when it comes to making trade deadline moves is quite extensive. We all remember when Cole Hamels was traded to the Rangers several years back. Just last summer, Kyle Gibson was the starter headed to Philadelphia.
Texas has played well of late—possibly because they have been able to beat up on the Phillies during their meetings in 2022. They are, however, not a postseason team. They’d be wise to trade Perez even if they ultimately plan to re-sign him in the offseason.
The trouble with acquiring Perez is that someone else might end up overpaying. The trade market for top starting pitchers isn’t huge. As others look to complete their starting five, one may end up paying more than Perez is worth.