Phillies Fleece Brewers in Early-Offseason Trade

Dave Dombrowski is known for making big, splashy moves, but he's also capable of making smaller deals, too.

Philadelphia Phillies fans got excited when they heard their team was making a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, hoping that former NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes might be on the way to replace Aaron Nola. Instead, it was revealed to be a smaller deal that bolsters the Phillies' farm system.

Phillies-Brewers Trade

Philadelphia swapped prospects with the Brewers, landing minor leaguers Hendry Mendez and Robert Moore in exchange for minor leaguer Oliver Dunn.

Dunn was originally drafted by the New York Yankees as an 11th-rounder in 2019. He advanced as high as Triple-A with the Yankees but failed to crack the big-league roster. The 26-year-old utilityman showed promise with the Phillies organization in 2023, swatting 21 homers with 78 RBIs and 16 steals (all career-highs) in Double-A for Philadelphia.

With Dunn continuing to mash in the Arizona Fall League (1.071 OPS), the Phillies are apparently trying to sell high on him, perhaps due to his advanced age for a prospect and the team's lack of available at-bats for him in the big leagues.

In return, Philadelphia is getting two prospects for the price of one. Mendez is a 20-year-old outfielder who spent most of 2023 in High-A ball, so he still has some upside and room to grow. Moore is a 21-year-old middle infielder who also spent 2023 in High-A, where he posted an underwhelming .682 OPS but did flash some speed with 26 steals.

Both players are lottery tickets at this stage in their careers, but it's usually worth having younger prospects who could still develop rather than older prospects who have likely already reached their ceiling.

This trade won't move the needle for the Phillies in 2024 and perhaps even 2025, but time will tell if it pays off down the road.

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