Philadelphia Phillies: 4 affordable starting pitcher trade options

4. Affordable Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher trade candidate: Zach Davies.

The career Zach Davies has had fits in line well with affordable trade candidates. This season, with the Arizona Diamondbacks, he is 2-4 with a 3.96 ERA in 14 starts. It’s not great. It’s not bad either. It’s very average and that has been what he has shown throughout his big league career.

Davies is another low-strikeout pitcher we could expect the Phillies to consider for their bullpen/starting pitcher depth. Following their strong start to the season, the Diamondbacks have faded and should now be looking to trade away veterans. Davies is surprisingly only 29 which may come as a shock to some who are familiar with him. He has been a major league pitcher since 2015 with most of his years coming as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The price on Davies would be similar to Kuhl with maybe a little more needed because of his resume. The two are in similar positions, having above-averages seasons on losing ball clubs. If the Phillies did target Davies, he’d also be an option to put in the bullpen over any of the current guys. It could be a challenge for him, though. He has never pitched an inning in relief.

From these four options, Perez is the obvious player that would improve the Phillies the most. Get him, move one of the other starters to the bullpen, and then go out and capture a playoff spot.

If not him, Quintana is a solid second option. Kuhl and Davies feel more like depth than an improvement. Considering the small number of options the Phillies will have to trade away and improve their ball club, any of the four are realistic.